


Crescendo and Decrescendo

by EspadaIV, JKRobertson



Series: Consonance and Dissonance [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Betrayal, Distrust, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fairy Godfather, Gen, Gossip, Heartbreak, Lemon, Lies, Love, Maria's past is revealed, Music Festival, Musicians, Nel's lies are exposed, Nonconsensual fondling, Romance, Scandal, Second Chances, Sex Tape, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, Smut, Starting Over, Therapy, Tour, backstabbing, fabricated affair, mental health, musician Orihime, musician Ulquiorra, relationship difficulties, rockstar Ulquiorra, ulquihime, vindication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:26:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 120,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23073181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EspadaIV/pseuds/EspadaIV, https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKRobertson/pseuds/JKRobertson
Summary: Part 3 in the Consonance and Dissonance series. Orihime and Ulquiorra seem to be on the mend at the SXSW music festival after six months of separation.   Orihime meets someone there from her distant past who offers her options for her future.  Can she put aside what Ulquiorra did and join him in California, or will she give Shuhei a chance?   What about Ulquiorra's physical and mental health problems and his stylist's improper interest in him right before his tour?  Nel hasn't forgotten how she got used up and left behind by her former best friend, either.
Relationships: Shihouin Yoruichi/Urahara Kisuke, Ulquiorra Cifer/Inoue Orihime
Series: Consonance and Dissonance [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1573807
Comments: 49
Kudos: 9





	1. Fairy Godfather

He woke up next to her. They both were clothed. He felt giddy as he jumped out of bed. His hotel room smelled like pizza and hot wings. It smelled like Orihime’s soap. He couldn’t believe this. He let her sleep as he hopped into the shower. As soon as he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist, Ulquiorra looked at himself. He looked happier. He appeared full of life instead of walking around with a pair of dead eyes. 

As he brushed his teeth, his eyes landed on his newest tattoo. It was dark and stood out against how pale his skin appeared in the harsh lighting. He finished getting cleaned up and walked out into the hotel room.

Orihime groaned as the light from the bathroom flooded the dark room. “What time is it?” she grumbled with a hand over her eyes.

“It’s a little before seven-thirty. I have autographs at nine,” Ulquiorra said as he came over to the bed and sat down. “Get up, Sleeping Beauty.”

“Fine,” she complained, but despite her tone, she had a huge grin on her face. She rubbed her eyes and sat up with her hands in her lap, blinking a few times to adjust to the light since Ulquiorra had opened the black-out curtains, leaving the privacy sheers closed. Once she was able to see, she turned her smile toward him and then froze. “Whoa. That’s a tattoo.”

He raised an eyebrow and looked down at the IV tattooed on his chest. “Don’t like it?”

She shook her head with a renewed smile. “As far as tattoos go, this one is very nice. Now it’s like there’s no doubt who ObscurasIV is.”

Ulquiorra smiled at her briefly. “I wanted to get something, but didn’t want to tattoo a four on me,” he said.

“Well, I gotta say, it looks pretty… pretty. I like the bold black on you. I’ve never been very interested in tattoos, but you are pulling it off. Can I touch it?” she asked, slightly embarrassed.

He laid back and nodded. He really should have gotten dressed instead of just wearing the towel.

Orihime turned to face him, folding her legs in front of her and leaning forward, touching the fingertips of her right hand to the center of his chest and sliding them toward his left nipple. The tattoo was just above it. She paused when her fingers came in contact with the black portions of skin. “Oh, it feels the same,” she commented, somewhat surprised.

He had to chuckle at that. “Well yeah, it’s healed. It’s just skin. What did you expect?” Ulquiorra asked, glancing up at her.

“Um, I don’t know, I guess I thought it would be a bit rougher or harder.” Her eyes found his again and then she giggled a bit. “You’re naked.”

“I’m not naked. I have a towel on,” he said. “Naked would imply that I came out of the bathroom with nothing on. I covered the inappropriate bits.”

“A technicality, I suppose. What time do you have to get going this morning?” she asked, looking down at herself. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn the previous day. It did not feel very pleasant.

Ulquiorra reached over to the bedside table and looked at his phone. There was a text from Nemu, as he expected. “Eight-thirty. She’s driving us to the place, so if you want to take my rental, you can,” he said. “Why?”

She smiled and stretched before responding. “I was hoping to take a quick shower and change first. I don’t usually sleep in my clothes, it feels kinda gross,” she said and laughed in embarrassment. “I don’t want to swipe your car, though. I can call Momo and find out what’s going on today. Maybe I can meet them somewhere around here. Do you think I can leave some of my stuff here?”

His nerves eased a bit at her answer. Here he was thinking of all kinds of lewd activities that Orihime wanted to do before he had to leave. Not that he would mind, but they had agreed to take things slow. ”If they’re hungover, take the rental, okay? And absolutely. You can leave anything you want here. Hell, bring all your stuff here,” he said with a smile, only partially kidding. “Mi casa su casa, or at least my hotel room is your hotel room.” 

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. “Okay. I better get moving. Um, okay. I’ll try to call after I get out of the shower but if you have to go before I know what’s going on, can I hang out here for a bit?”

“I’ll let you know I’m leaving before I go, even if I have to barge into the bathroom,” he said. Ulquiorra grabbed the back of Orihime’s neck and pulled her down. The desire building inside of him was starting to affect his brain. Once again it was like someone flipped a switch on as he kissed her, opening his mouth slightly. He wanted to wrap himself up in her and never let go. He wanted to take her everywhere with him. He couldn’t, and the buzz from his phone reminded him of that. “Fucking schedules,” he muttered as he broke their kiss.

She smiled in his face before sitting back up. “Maybe be grateful to them; if we were free to do whatever we pleased this week, we’d end up rushing things.” She leaned down once more and pecked his lips before getting off the bed and grabbing her bag. “I’ll see you in a bit,” she said, before disappearing into the bathroom.

He laid there for a minute, letting himself calm down. It took him another minute to find the outfit that Nemu had picked out for him for that day. He had to admit to himself she was rather efficient at her job. She had twelve outfits packed into bags along with four pairs of shoes. He was the one who threw his own boxers, socks and pajama pants into the suitcase. Yeah they were stacked in there nice and neat, but Nemu’s organizational skills were beyond his own.

Ulquiorra was buckling his belt when the consultant walked into his room. “What the hell?” he hissed as she came in.

“Are you almost ready? Aaron and Ggio are ready to go,” Nemu asked, not bothering to answer his question. “Oh, your tattoo is looking good.”

“All I have to do is put on my shirt and shoes, grab my shit and a--” 

She cut him off. “You won’t need a jacket, so the leather jacket thing can stay here,” she said. Nemu cocked her head to the side and appeared to be listening to something. “Is someone here?”

“A hooker. I paid for a hooker last night. She’s taking a shower.”

“Oh.” Nemu straightened her spine and huffed. “Well get ready and we’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

Ulquiorra watched as the dark-haired woman left the room. Why the hell did she have a keycard to his room? He finished getting dressed and then knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?” he asked.

“Sure,” Orihime said. She was still in the shower, behind the curtain.

He entered and walked over to the shower, pulling back the curtain just enough to get a peek. “Nemu just came by,” he said as he gazed at her.

Orihime had her elbows up as she was lathering shampoo into her hair, and had her eyes closed to protect them from the burning suds. She turned toward the voice and replied, “Oh, is it time to go already?”

“Yeah, but I wish it wasn’t,” he said. She had taken care of herself during their time apart. Orihime still looked gorgeous. Ulquiorra bit his lip before reaching out with a hand, letting the back of his fingers ghost over one of her nipples. He felt like a pervert, but it was whatever to him.

“Oh!” she peeped, then cracked an eye open. “Well, hello to you too.” She smiled and closed her eyes again. It was nothing he hadn’t seen before; she had just been surprised. “I didn’t know you were watching.”

He laughed. “Well, seeing as you got to cop a feel last night and this morning, it’s only fair, right? I love you. I’ll see you later then?”

“Hold on just a second!” she said, putting her head under the stream of water and washing the suds out of her scalp as quickly as she could, then wiped her face off marginally with her wet hands and turned to face him, opening her eyes and using the shower curtain to shield his clothes as she stepped toward him. “Give me a kiss first.”

“Okay,” he said. Ulquiorra didn’t care if he did get wet. He kissed Orihime, allowing one hand to ghost down the side of her body. Once he reached her hip, his heart was beating rapidly.

Orihime was feeling it too, glad she was in the shower. Her body was responding to his touch. She hummed a little whine into his mouth and then pulled back. “That was evil, Ulquiorra,” she scolded. “I’m going to be thinking about that all day.”

A smirk spread over his mouth. “Good, because I’m going to be thinking about it too, along with how you were touching my chest. I’ve got to go.” 

“Okay, where are you going to leave the keys? I don’t want to rifle through your stuff. Also, do you just want to text me about meeting up later? Can I be any more clingy?” She laughed at herself, but she was a bit worried about it.

“I left the keys on the bedside table along with my keycard, just in case you want to come back here. I’ll text you my schedule for today when I get it and then we can decide what matches up, okay?” 

“Okay. I love you. Have a good morning!” she said, smiling at him.

He gave her a brilliant smile before leaving the bathroom. Ulquiorra made sure he had everything before he went downstairs.

***

After Orihime was showered and dressed, she called Momo. Ulquiorra was right; they were all hung over. The mandolinist promised to call back later and maybe meet up for a late lunch. It was fine with Orihime; she wanted to get a bite to eat and walk around to get a feel for the area before deciding whether or not to drive the half hour back to Momo’s place. She grabbed Ulquiorra’s keycard, and after carefully tucking it into her wallet, she walked down to the elevators and out the lobby.

There was a grocery store across the street, so she stopped there and got an energy bar and an iced coffee. The sun was up and it was already seventy degrees. Orihime took a walk around; a lot of places weren’t open yet because it was still early. About forty-five minutes later, she was back at the hotel and making her way back up to the room. She let herself in and decided to rest for a bit; the night before had been emotional and they had stayed up a bit late, so she took off her shoes and climbed back into bed.

Two hours later her phone started ringing.

“Hello?” Orihime said in a sleepy voice before clearing it. She had fallen asleep.

“Hey, it’s Mo. Where are you?”

“Um, the Hyatt on Third Street. Where are you?”

“We’re gonna go get some food. Wanna meet there? We’re about ten minutes out.”

“Yeah, okay, just let me get cleaned up and I can be down there around then.”

“Okay. Late night?” Momo asked suggestively.

“Uh, not how you think, but kinda. I’ll see you soon,” Orihime said and hung up, not up to chatting at the moment. After cleaning the sleep out of her eyes and rebrushing her hair and teeth, Orihime grabbed Ulquiorra’s key card again and headed down to meet her group.

***

His hand hurt after an hour of signing photographs of himself. It also hurt because he wrote with the same hand he had hit Shuhei with. He turned in his seat and motioned to Nemu, who had been standing at the back of the booth. “Can you get me one of those shakes?”

“Flavor?”

“Uh, strawberry, I guess.”

“Anything else for the king?” she asked. Her tone was slightly bitchy.

“Can you get me something for a headache?” Ulquiorra asked. He also tacked on, “Please?”

The look on her face softened a bit and she nodded. He didn’t miss it. Shit. Why did he attract the crazy ones? Or at least the ones who thought they had a chance with him? Why was Nemu mad, anyway? Because he said he had paid a hooker? Orihime was _not_ a hooker, but it wasn’t Nemu’s business who the fuck was in his shower that morning. He had paid for his own hotel room and the rental car out of the savings account his father had finally given him access to. There was a sizeable amount in there. His dad had sent him a text explaining that every bit of child support that his mother had sent to him had been deposited to the account with interest. No call. No hey can we talk… A fucking text.

He understood that his dad was going through a hard time, but the guy also needed to reach out if they were to repair their relationship.

Ulquiorra shook his head. He couldn’t think of his dad or his mom right now. He had to finish this autograph session. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Nemu put the carton on the table by his elbow. “Thanks,” he said.

“I’m going to have to go somewhere and get you something for a headache,” she said, the hand still on his shoulder. Ulquiorra had a feeling if he tilted his head back, he’d get a faceful of tits. “Is it bad?”

He shrugged. “See if Aaron or Ggio need anything,” Ulquiorra said. “It’s not fair that I get all the attention from you.”

The minutes ticked by and he sipped on the drink. All the people who came up for a photo of the band seemed really excited to meet him. Ulquiorra smiled and nodded while making small talk. The host of the signing finally thanked everyone for coming and announced the next act that would be showing up to give up their signatures.

Nemu ushered them out of the room and the building they were in. It was hotter than Ulquiorra expected for March. 

“I should have worn shorts or something,” Aaron said as they walked to the car. 

Ulquiorra had to agree, but he never wore shorts, even on the hottest day in Ohio. “What are we doing next? Can we go back to the hotel? Maybe get a iced coffee?”

Nemu answered, “You guys have got an intimate sessions at a coffee shop. We sold about a hundred tickets for this.”

“What?” Ulquiorra asked. “Hold up, we’re playing a show?”

“It’s not a show, it is a session. Three to five songs, depending on the crowd.”

It was Aaron who piped up from the back. “So what songs are we doing?”

“Where the fuck is Komamura?” Ulquiorra asked. He hadn’t seen his manager for at least three weeks now.

“He should be here tomorrow. He had some family stuff to take care of,” Nemu said. “Once he shows up, I’ll go back to Los Angeles and start getting things together for your tour.”

Ulquiorra felt railroaded by all this information. He really hadn’t been paying attention during those meetings and briefings that had happened. “I mean,I know we’re going on that ten city tour, but what the fuck do you mean get things together?”

“Ulquiorra, I’m an image consultant. I’m putting looks together for each of you. The label wants you to look a certain way, thus it’s my job to plan outfits. Don’t worry, I’m not going with you on tour. That’s all Nanao and Komamura’s job,” Nemu said 

Oh. Okay. She wasn’t doing anything funny. Nemu was doing her job. He could accept that. “Ah, so we’re going to have a makeup artist and stuff with us?” 

Nemu hummed for a moment. “The most makeup you’ll need is eyeliner, and lots of it. You’ll just sweat out any product that is put in your hair. Gin was somewhat adamant about some points when he was dictating what he wanted for you guys. White and black, Aaron gets a face mask, Ggio a headband, and you… well you’ll have to see what Gin has in store for you.”

Ulquiorra could already tell that he didn’t like this idea. 

“It has a wing on it.”

“A wing? Like Sephiroth, one winged angel kind of bullshit?”

“How do you know who Sephiroth is?”

“My dad had the games. I popped them into my PS2 and played through it. It’s practically how I learned to read,” Ulquiorra answered. “How do you know who he is?”

“Oh darling. I was almost in fourth grade when I got my hands on Final Fantasy seven.”

It was silent in the car. Orihime was right. This bitch was at least thirty years old and Ulquiorra kissed her? He had contemplated and even joked around about dicking her down? “Nemu… How old are you?”

“I’ll be thirty-three this year.”

He had to keep from visually cringing. Fourteen years. The idea made his skin crawl. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Orihime. “Can we stop somewhere for the headache stuff?” he asked after he sent it.

  * You were right… she’s 33. :|



***

“We were going to play this really great dive bar, but Shu insisted that we can’t play somewhere that _Orihime_ couldn’t get into, so we’re doing this bar and grill place we play at occasionally anyway. Lame,” Ikkaku complained as the group left the tex-mex place where they had just eaten lunch.

“Sorry. You guys didn’t have to do that.”

“Fact of the matter is, Orihime, you’ve got a decent YouTube presence, and you and Shu have generated a bit of a buzz. We promised the venue you’d be there. Please come or we’re screwed,” Momo pleaded, although it sounded more like a demand.

“Well, if it’s all set up I don’t mind. Am I dressed okay though? I left all my stuff at the hotel,” Orihime replied.

Shu rolled his eyes. The bruise on his face was not as bad as Orihime had expected it to look. Momo must have taken good care of him, she thought.

“Yeah, you look fine. Can’t really go wrong with a black sundress,” Momo replied. “So, where’s your boyfriend, anyway?"

“Um, he had some autograph event this morning, and then some other appearance? He wasn’t sure. His weird old image consultant is dragging him around all over the place. He said he’ll text me later to let me know what’s up and he’ll meet up.”

“Maybe he can come watch the show? I heard there might be some industry people there. The place has really good ribs and it’s near a couple nicer hotels. The only problem is we’re playing kind of earlier… not cool enough for top billing.”

“It’s okay. It’s nice to perform early sometimes,” Orihime said with a pleasant smile, then felt her phone buzz. She took it out to see Ulquiorra’s text about Nemu and cackled. “I knew it,” she murmured and replied.

  * Told you so, lol. Sorry that’s gross. Any idea what your plan is for today?



***

Ulquiorra was sucking down an iced coffee with the addition of a protein shake from the place they were playing at. Medici was a nice place with a second floor where the performance would be taking place. There were people with cameras milling about. Ggio and Aaron were setting up, since it took them longer. They usually screwed around until it was actually time to perform.

He had taken the pain pills for his hand and the beginning of a headache. Nemu hovered in the corner sipping something in a cup. She kept staring at him.

His phone buzzed, which was good, because Ulquiorra didn’t know how much more of the older woman’s attention he could take.

  * Don’t remind me. I actually joked to Nanao that I wanted to call her up for a booty call. YUCK. No thanks. I’ll pass on that. Seriously I want to go take several hot showers. Playing a coffee shop in about 10 mins. Then we’ve got a couple of interviews. Apparently I missed a lot while I checked out during the past couple of months. Tomorrow Komamura will be here and Nemu’s going back to LA.



Orihime read his message as they piled back into Ikkaku’s van.

  * Busy! I’ve been roped into playing a show at this bar and grill a few blocks north of your hotel at around 5. Speaking of which, I still have your keycard. You have another one, right?



Ulquiorra thought about this morning in his hotel room and he shifted on the stool he was sitting on. That’s all he needed, to get hard while in public. He took the plastic to go cup from his mouth and set it on the floor beside his seat. 

  * I have one, which you have and… Nem has the other one. I was only given one when she handed them out. Also… thinking about this morning has me in a way. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.



Orihime frowned, then laughed, then frowned again while reading his message.

  * Well, sorry… you’re going to have to deal for a bit. ;) Also, WTF? Why does she have one of your keys? That’s just creepy. Did the label pay for her to make sure you don’t die in a room they paid for or something? I don’t get it.



Scoffing, Ulquiorra shook his head. He glanced in Nemu’s direction and saw that she was still looking at him.

  * This can go both ways Veggs. I can make you want it just as much as I do. Also I think since she’s playing the role of assistant she thinks she needs to do wake up calls. She heard the shower this morning. I said I had a woman in there… technically I said hooker but in no way shape or form do I think of you like that. You’re an angel and I love you. I said that so she wouldn’t bust my balls. It’s none of her fucking business who is in my room. I paid for the damn thing.



Orihime frowned harder.

  * she is f’n weird. I get a seriously bad vibe. It’s your room. Demand she hands the key over if you want. You’re entitled. As for the other thing… I came back to the room after my solo foray into the wilds of Austin. I should be good to go for several more hours ;)



It was a fib, but he didn’t have to know that.

Hmph. His mouth formed a thin line, and he was going to respond, but Ggio signaled they were ready. Ulquiorra nodded and picked up the acoustic guitar he had brought along for this trip. He put his phone back into his pocket. He’d deal with Orihime later.

They played several songs from the album and then a couple of other covers of songs. It took an hour to get through six songs. The crowd wanted more, but the owner of the coffeeshop shooed them off the stage saying there would be more bands along to play. 

He was downstairs at the counter buying another iced coffee when Nemu stood beside him. “What, Nem?”

“I hope you wore protection,” she said quietly.

“None of your business,” Ulquiorra replied.

“If you get something or get sick, that’s on me. I was told to keep you safe,” she stated. Nemu’s chest pressed against his arm as she moved closer. “You didn’t have to pay anyone.”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and looked away. “You’re like almost fifteen years older than me. It’s kind of creepy.” Nemu was silent but he could feel the indignant air coming off her. “I mean, I’m flattered, Nem, but come on; I could see if you were like, I don’t know… twenty-five. That’s like my limit for anyone.”

“You’re the one who kept kissing me the day you came back from Ohio,” she said. 

“Okay, and we’ve already established I was an asshole for doing that, okay? I apologized for it. I just wanted to see if I could feel something for someone else,” Ulquiorra sighed, wishing that the people making his drink would hurry up. “What’s the schedule look like for the rest of the day?”

Nemu took a step back. She must have gotten the message. “You have an interview for a magazine in the conference room at the Hyatt,” she replied. “That happens at three. After that you’re free until tomorrow afternoon. OIV--”

“CIFER?!” a voice called out, holding up his cup of coffee.

Ulquiorra wasted no time in grabbing the cup and walking out of the coffee shop. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, quickly texting Orihime.

  * Maybe I should do the same thing? Go back to the room and just think about you. Should tide me over for a couple of months since it’s been that long. Come get me for your gig or text me the address? I can be there to watch you.



She smiled at his text.

  * well, if you wanna clean your pipes, have at it. I was kidding before, btw. Trying to get a reaction. Lol. Anyway, I’ll have Momo send you the info when she sends it to me. I left the car with you, although if you can’t get to your room a lot of good that does. Hmmm… I can probably pick you up. I don’t want to have to play nurse Hime again so no more fisticuffs with Shu?



That saved him a lot of time. He wanted to relieve the tension in his body, but he would be able to put it off until they were ready to be together like that. Again, that wave of desire rippled through him and he sighed.

  * I’ll get Nemu to give me her keycard. Text me the address. Maybe if he keeps his mouth shut? No promises. Pretty boy needs to keep his hands off my woman. 



Something akin to arousal flooded her body as she read his text.

  * hnngh, I like it when you talk tough. And you are the pretty boy, btw. <3



Ulquiorra took a photo of himself biting his lip while smiling and sent it to her. Let’s see how she likes that, he thought. 

  * Awww she thinks I’m pretty! You’re pretty damn gorgeous yourself Vega. <3 see you soon-ish.



***

The place they were setting up in looked kind of goofy but smelled awesome. Smoky meat was the predominant aroma. It made Orihime’s mouth water. 

“Stop drooling, Orihime,” Shu said to her, a bit kinder than he had been for the past couple of days. “You can eat after we play.”

Orihime rolled her eyes and smiled at him. “So, did you guys rehearse? Which songs are we doing?”

“All our YouTube ones and Tonight Tonight, Cecelia, The Scientist, and some other classics. By the time we move past our regular fare it will basically just be glorified karaoke for us, so don’t worry.”

Orihime looked offended. “I do not perform “glorified karaoke”. Karaoke is glorious in its own right, but I don’t slack off. Who’s got the set list?”

Shu directed her to Momo as the guys started setting up. “So, um, Momo, did you and Shu…?” Orihime asked after she approached.

Momo smirked at her. “Sorta, we were both pretty trashed, but we made out a bit. Should be able to seal the deal tonight, though. Speaking of which, can you crash with Ulq again tonight?”

Orihime sighed and nodded, pretending like it was an inconvenience. She asked to see the set list and checked mics, and before she knew it, it was time to start.

“Tonight we’re starting off early with Vega Strife and Shu Hisagi of recent YouTube fame, backed by I. Kira and Austin’s own Peach Cobbler. Take it away, Vega,” a restaurant staffer said into a mic and then walked off stage.

Orihime smiled and scanned the crowd. She was only looking for one person.

***

He and Nemu fought about the keycard. What if he decided to oversleep and no one could get into his room? She was told by Komamura to keep one key to each of their rooms just in case. Ulquiorra didn’t believe that bullshit for one minute, but Nanao confirmed the story. It was Espada Records’ policy for the assistant to hold onto keycards just in case there was an artist who had a drug problem, or in Ulquiorra’s case, got drunk and overslept. Nanao told him that they were more worried about something going wrong with him and not eating than anything else.

He had been eating. He’d been drinking the shakes!

Nanao told him over the phone, “One week of eating and being around your girlfriend doesn’t equate to progress. Once we can put some weight on you, you can keep your second card.”

He threw a fit about it and called his mother. She echoed the same thing Nanao said. It was the label’s policy. Someone had to be able to get into their rooms. It made rescue efforts faster and it was a method that saved lives.

Nemu let him into his room. Ulquiorra grabbed the car keys and a light jacket since it looked like it was going to rain. He didn’t want to be caught out in it.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Nineteen, not nine. Don’t need to tell you my every move, but I am going to see a really awesome band play. I’ll be back before lights out,” Ulquiorra said as the elevator doors closed.

He got there as the person introduced the band. He meant to get there sooner, but the damn traffic around Austin was shitty. There were a lot of people going places. He saw Orihime and both of his brows went up as he looked at her. That was a cute but simple little black dress she wore.

Orihime’s eyes found his finally, and her smile widened as she spoke. “Thanks for coming out, everyone, especially you,” she said, not taking her eyes off of him, but getting a mild chuckle from a few other patrons who thought she was just trying to be charming. “I’m Vega Strife zero zero on YouTube, and this is Shu Hisagi and Kira, and beside us is Peach Cobbler. We’re going to play some familiar tunes for you tonight, so sit back, enjoy, and feel free to sing along,” she said, then looked back at Shu and the others and nodded to begin. They started with “Heaven”. It sounded great. Momo’s mandolin playing really added to the song, and Ikkaku’s percussion helped hold everyone together as a unit. It sounded different, and less intimate, than the recordings done at Shu’s place, but more interesting.

Ulquiorra grabbed a table but kept his eyes on the redhead singing. She sounded really good with those guys. It was almost magical… The only thing that kept it from being out of this world was that the green-eyed musician knew that the people standing up on that stage were a bunch of assholes. Orihime sounded amazing though. She was singing from her heart, he knew that much.

They did “Cecelia” next, just to raise the energy in the room, only to slam it back down with their cover of “Best I Ever Had.” It was the one song Orihime sang that night during which she refused to look at Ulquiorra. It was too painful as it was, just to remember the feelings the song conjured. After that song, she took a break to let Momo do some talking and rewarming up the crowd while she turned around and drank some water and dabbed her eyes. They came back after that and did “Photograph”, “We Don’t Talk Anymore”, “Tonight, Tonight” and “The Scientist”, then circling back into Orihime’s solo repertoire, doing “Looking Too Closely” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” After those songs, Peach Cobbler took over and Orihime and Shu stuck to back up vocals.

He had to take a deep breath to keep himself in check. It wouldn’t do to be seen out in public crying his eyes out. Not once during that Vertical Horizon song did Orihime look at him. The lyrics stabbed him over and over in the heart, because he knew… He absolutely knew that she was speaking to him. It hurt. They had done so much wrong to each other. Mostly it was his fault, and he blamed himself.

Ulquiorra had been an idiot. He had been stupid. Thankfully, he had opened his eyes so that he didn’t get taken on the same ride with Nemu. That would have been a great conversation to have if he had actually taken her up on the offer in the steam room. He would have noped out of that faster than anything. It bothered him that he even kissed her. Yes, he had taken it upon himself to throw himself at her, but she should have known better.

He shook his head. He didn’t want to think of the consultant while he was with Orihime. He sat back and listened to the group’s music. It was nice hearing other bands play.

They were done before seven, and Orihime took the time to thank everyone she played with, giving Momo a hug. She even smiled and had a small laugh with Shu before leaving everyone else behind on the stage to clean up their instruments. They didn’t mind; she was the reason they were getting paid for this instead of doing it for “exposure”. 

Orihime didn’t waste anymore time before coming directly up to Ulquiorra and taking the seat in the chair across from him with a smile. She was slightly flushed, and there was a light sheen of sweat on her hairline, which she wiped off with the back of her hand before asking, “Well, what did you think?”

“You want my real opinion?” Ulquiorra asked, watching her nod once. “Okay, you sounded great with them. I said in that YouTube comment that you sounded better with Hisagi than you did with me, which was the truth, but...”

“But?” she asked, a small smile playing on the corners of her mouth.

“Why the hell did you pick him? Kurosaki I can understand, but... ” He trailed off, not wanting to seem like a brat. “It hurt that you performed with someone else.”

That tentative smile turned into a sympathetic pout as she reached across the table and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, it hurt me to perform with someone else, too. But I have to perform. It’s who I am. It was slim pickings in your hometown.”

Ulquiorra nodded. He knew what that town was like in terms of musical culture. It was practically microscopic, and if anyone had any talent, they left and never returned. “Question for you though.”

“What?”

“Are you going to keep performing with him? Are you gonna go back to Ohio and keep singing with him?” Ulquiorra asked.

Orihime made kind of a stink face and looked to the side before looking back at Ulquiorra. “I can’t. He kissed me. I’m going to have to get my stuff out of his place and maybe go back to Columbus until I figure out my next move. Tier has a couch I could crash on for a bit. Shu’s gonna be fine… Momo has already made her move,” she chuckled. “But he only needed me for the push and, frankly, a bit of bonus exposure. If he wants to make music his thing instead of baking, he’s set up. He doesn’t need me.” She knew Ulquiorra didn’t care about what Shu wanted or needed, but she didn’t like feeling like a person who chewed people up and spit them out, so she felt compelled to justify her decisions.

Tilting his head to the side, Ulquiorra cracked his neck and relaxed. As long as she wasn’t going to continue doing this with Hisagi, he could drop the grudge he felt against the guy. It wouldn’t be easy for him, but he had to try. “Did you want to eat here or did you have other plans for tonight?”

“I don’t have any plans, but this place looks a bit rich for my blood…” she trailed off, uncomfortable.

“My treat, or if you want to, we can go somewhere else,” he replied. 

“Really? In that case let’s stay here, it smells amazing.” She grinned and wiggled in anticipation. “Thank you, Ulquiorra.”

He smiled. After they ordered and started eating, a waitress came over and set a champagne glass full of a pale beige-colored liquid in front of Orihime.

“Oh, I think there’s been a mistake, I didn’t order anything,” Orihime said, holding her palms up to the woman.

The waitress shook her head and set a business card on the table. “I know. The gentleman over there would like a word with you before you leave,” she said with a smile before leaning down and murmuring to the singer, “And don’t worry, the bartender knows you’re underage; this is ginger ale.” She smiled at Orihime and nodded to Ulquiorra before she left.

Orihime looked at the card, which read, _K. Urahara, Senior Talent Developer, Soul Society Music Group, Los Angeles_. Orihime’s head popped up and she scanned the room. An older man with sandy blonde hair and a striped bucket hat caught her eye with a small wave and a tip of the head. “Interesting,” she murmured, then looked at Ulquiorra. “Do you think I should go talk to him?”

He took the card and looked at it. He’d heard Tosen and Gin bitch about this label. Something about how their methods weren’t the best and how they thought they could make anyone into a star. He frowned. “Do you want to go talk to him?” Ulquiorra said, glancing at the strange man. He looked like a bum.

“Well, kind of. I’m curious at least. Will you come with me, in case they’re weird?”

“Of course. I want to finish eating though.”

Orihime nodded. “I agree. This is _really_ good,” she said before taking another bite of her barbecue sandwich.

Ulquiorra had ordered the chicken. He wondered if there were any places in Los Angeles that cooked food like this. It tasted awesome. It should taste awesome for the prices he was paying. “So after we talk to him, did you want to go back to the hotel room or did you want to go somewhere else?”

Orihime finished chewing before answering. “Well, seeing as though I plan to finish every bite of this badboy, a walk around the block or so wouldn’t be a bad idea, but… Wait a second, are you assuming I’m coming back with you?” she asked with an impish smile. “I mean, I am. I’ve been asked to make myself scarce from Momo’s. She is planning phase two of Operation: Seduce Shuhei, so… I was going to ask if I could stay again.”

“You can always stay with me,” Ulquiorra replied. “I told you to stay with me when we were on the phone. And good for Mo. She’s been harboring a crush on Hisagi and every other male in that group.”

“Well here’s to a girl with a wide strike zone,” she said, raising her ginger ale glass and taking a sip. “I can’t imagine liking more than one person at a time, though. It’s consuming enough with just one,” she said casually, leaning back and taking another sip.

She was right. It was consuming. Ulquiorra raised his glass of iced tea waiting for Orihime to clink her glass against it. “Here’s to the first day of South by Southwest in the books,” he said. “And it looks like something good might come out of it for you.”

She leaned forward and smiled, touching her glass to his. “Cheers to that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”

They finished their meal talking about Ulquiorra’s events that day. “So, was it weird to do a signing? It seems weird. I was recognized a couple times at Occhi Verdi, and it was weird,” Orihime said before taking the last bite of her sandwich.

Ulquiorra shook his head. “My fans knew I was going to be here. I put out a video, and I guess Nanao put it up on whatever social media I have. I know my website was updated with the information and schedule of where I would be this week. What was weird was having people telling me they were my number one fan.”

“Ha! Little do they know,” Orihime said with a huge grin, wiping her hands off on her napkin before dabbing it at the corners of her mouth. “Did I miss anything?” she asked, tilting her face from side to side for his inspection.

He held up his phone and snapped a photo of Orihime and then pointed to her chin. “I think this is going on Instagram,” he laughed.

“No!’ she hollered, holding a hand out toward his phone and using the other to wipe off her chin. “Don’t you dare! You finish eating so we can go meet Gilligan and the Skipper and get out of here.”

Ulquiorra slipped the device into his pocket and signaled for the waiter. “I’ve been done. I’m like, so overfull, it’s not funny. It was good, but I can’t eat anymore.”

Orihime eyed his plate. He had eaten a decent amount. The portions at this place were huge. She hadn’t touched more than two of the home fries that came with her sandwich. “Okay then, shall we, after this?” she asked as the bill was left.

He said nothing as he slipped a credit card into the folder and handed it back to the waiter. “Besides what it says on the card, who do you think that is? Some weirdo?”

“I dunno. I’m always skeptical about stuff, you know how I am. I was like that with your deal, too.”

“Yeah, but my deal has turned out to be legit. After my album drops, I get my money. Espada Records hasn’t been awful to me.”

“Glad to hear it. I’ve heard of Soul Society Music Group. My aunt did a recording with them; they have a classical division under the name Seireitei. Sounds fancier, I guess. It was just one track of a compilation album, but she didn’t complain about it, so there is that, I guess.”

Ulquiorra scowled at the mention of Orihime’s aunt. “You don’t suppose that’s where your aunt knows Aizen from, do you?”

“Could be. I don’t know. I never met him before last semester. Speaking of, I haven’t heard from the lawyer for awhile. I hope that’s going okay. She never called you, did she? I know we weren’t together at the time, but I gave her your name and number in case they wanted to use you as a witness.”

He shook his head. “No one from Ohio has contacted me. The only people who I talked to on the phone were my mom, Nan, Nem, and you.”

“Well that’s an easy-to-manage contact list,” Orihime said as the waiter returned with the credit card and receipt.

Ulquiorra signed it and took his card back. He stood up and offered Orihime his hand. “Shall we go see what Mister Ginger Ale wants?”

“Here goes nothing,” she said with a smile and took his hand as they weaved their way through the tables toward the man in question. He had been watching the current performer finish his set, and applauded as he took a bow. After the applause died down, Orihime spoke.

“Hi, um, you wanted to see me?” Orihime asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The older man and his large, spectacled male companion looked up from the table and smiled at the young woman as each of them stood. “Ah yes, Ms. Strife. What a pleasure! And Mr. Obscuras IV, a rare treat indeed. Please, have a seat,” the blonde man said, eyeing the man with cornrows seated across from him. “This is my dear friend and associate, Tessai Tsukabishi,” he said, gesturing to the man who was currently moving one chair over to allow Ulquiorra to fill the one that he had occupied, while the blonde man pulled out the chair beside himself to allow Orihime to take a seat. “Tessai lives here in Austin, which makes me sad,” he said, making a show of sticking out his lower lip as he pushed Orihime’s chair in as she took a seat. “But how silly of me, I haven’t introduced myself yet, I’m Kisuke Urahara.”

“Kisuke Urahara… No way. Um, do you know who I am?”

The older man took his seat and pushed the brim of his hat back a bit, knitting his brows and inspecting the young woman. “I can’t say that I do, Ms. Strife. I’ve seen your YouTube channel. I’ve seen your performance with your companion as Vega IV. Should I know you?”

“My real name is Orihime Inoue,” Orihime said, waiting for the man to make the connection. If he didn’t, then it was just a strange coincidence.

“What?! Kenta and Allison’s Orihime?!” the blonde man beamed a smile as Orihime nodded a bit. “Tessai! You won’t believe this. This is little Hime-chan, my goddaughter!” The man reached over and gave Orihime’s forearm a squeeze before leaning back in his chair and chuckling. “What a small world! Have you enjoyed my birthday cards over the years? Yoruichi helps me pick them out.” The older man turned his attention back to his companion. “Kenta and I were college roommates. I was best man at his and Allison’s wedding! This is just… This is wonderful,” he said, resting his hands on his belly and sighing. “So, tell me, Mr. Obscuras, how do you know our little Hime-chan?”

Ulquiorra didn’t think his bosses would like it if he talked to the man with the blond hair, but he didn’t want to seem rude. He had heard of Urahara. “We were internet friends, then we found each other at OSU,” he answered with his arms folded over his chest.

“I see,” he said. Urahara had been around the block enough times to understand when someone was shutting down, and when to apply pressure and when to back off. This was a back off situation. “So, Orihime, or do you prefer Vega?”

“Orihime is fine,” she responded, somewhat awed by this revelation.

“Of course. So, Orihime, where’s your partner with the golden voice? I’d like to speak with him, too.”

Orihime’s smile faltered a bit, and she bit the inside of her cheek, her head looking around the restaurant. “I’m going to guess that he went out with the rest of the band. I’m too young to go out to bars with them. What do you want with Shu?”

“I don’t want him. I want both of you. I want to record an album with your perfectly balanced voices singing in harmony to songs that are manufactured to be best-sellers. It doesn’t hurt that you look good together.”

Orihime’s face fell completely. “I’m sorry Uncle Kisuke, but that’s a non-starter.”

Urahara’s face fell. “But why not?” He sounded stricken.

“Because she said so. Orihime doesn’t want to be around Hisagi,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Oh, that’s a shame. You have amazing chemistry on camera.”

“I assure you that’s where it ends,” Orihime said firmly. “Shuhei and I do not share the same artistic vision and he is not free to travel at will. I’m sure he would love to talk to you again in about… um, eighteen or twenty months.”

Urahara rose an eyebrow at the redhead. “Grand theft? Assault?”

“Possession,” Orihime answered.

“Oh, is that all?” Urahara laughed in a relieved sort of way. “A small block in the road. Regardless, I would like to meet with him, if you wouldn’t mind passing along one of my cards. Also, I’d like to take my favorite goddaughter out to dinner while we’re both in town. We can talk more then.” Urahara pulled out his phone. “Are you free on Wednesday?”

Orihime looked to Ulquiorra with a questioning expression. “You get first dibs on my time during this trip. Are you busy Wednesday?”

Ulquiorra had his phone out before Orihime finished speaking. He hoped that Nanao had updated his calendar. “Wednesday… Radio interview at noon. Dirty Dog Bar at seven and then a party… Ugh… I don’t want to go to a party.”

Urahara let his hat shadow his eyes as he turned his gaze on Ulquiorra. “Espada Records has you running ragged, do they? Typical. Next time you run into Gin, tell him Kisuke says hi.”

The green-eyed musician huffed. “I don’t think they’re running me ragged. I’m willing to put in the work to make a name for myself.”

Urahara held his palms up. “Good for you, Mr. Obscuras. I’m sure you’ll have much success. We at Soul Society Music Group tend to focus more on the craft of making music than the development of a brand, but that is merely a difference in philosophy. I’m a purist. I’m not the richest or most commercially successful record executive, but I do what I love, and that’s finding and developing artists with potential into professionals with a distinct sound they can call their own. I think it’s important for a performer to be true to his or herself. I think authenticity is a vital part of a musician’s repertoire. I don’t think artificially manipulating an image to fit a record executive’s idea of what might sell creates good music, and I love good music,” the man finished by tipping his glass to Tessai and taking a drink.

“I’m not letting anyone manipulate me. No one in that company has successfully cowed me into doing anything,” Ulquiorra replied. He sighed, not liking this guy at all. “I’m in this to get my voice heard, not make people money. I want to play music and that’s what I’m doing.”

The blonde man smiled. “Glad to hear it. And do not get me wrong, Mr. Obscuras, I do not think Espada Records is a bad outfit. There is room for both types of approaches. Just… be aware of your limits and boundaries and don’t let the excitement carry you away to a place you don’t want to go. I’ve seen too many artists get burned that way. And that’s not something exclusive to Espada.” Urahara shook his head. “I’m getting old, Tessai. Old and world-weary. Let’s go get drunk,” he said, standing and taking Orihime’s hand and kissing it. “Text me your number, dear goddaughter. You are the spitting image of Allison. So lovely,” he paused to smile at her. “We’ll have dinner Wednesday, and you can tell me how your horrible aunt is doing and we can talk about your future. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Obscuras,” he said, tipping his hat to Ulquiorra. 

A sneer threatened to surface on his face. Ulquiorra had to hold back. Nope. He didn’t like this guy at all. He turned to Orihime. “You’re going to hear what he has to say, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, why?” she asked, turning to Ulquiorra after waving after the older men.

“I don’t like him. He seems shady… shifty, almost.” Ulquiorra stood up. “C’mon, let’s go see what Austin is all about, maybe we can poke our heads into a coffee shop or club and get to hear some more live music.”

Orihime let Ulquiorra’s negative comment go. He was free to think what he wanted. “Okay, lead the way.”


	2. We Keep Playing Ourselves

By the time they made it back to the hotel room, Ulquiorra wanted to push Orihime against something. She looked entirely too cute in her sundress. All he could think about was pushing it up and down. He had to calm himself down, though. They probably were not ready for anything like that. It didn’t mean he couldn’t contemplate it.

He stripped off his jacket and shoes then flopped down on the bed with his phone in his hand. All the “work” he had done today along with the walking made him tired. “I’ve got another two shows tomorrow,” he groaned.

“No rest for the weary, huh?” she said, going into the bathroom. She came out a couple minutes later and asked, “I don’t suppose there is any way I can come watch one, is there? You’re probably just doing big venues and bars.”

Lifting his head, he looked at her. “Tomorrow there’s a coffee shop performance at two… Houndstooth Coffee. It says acoustic session. The one later that night is at a gay bar. Who the hell booked these shows?”

Orihime giggled and sat down at the foot of the bed. “I don’t know, but gays like dark mysterious guys too,” she retorted. “Anyway, you’re definitely done for tonight, right? Because if so, I am going to change. I don’t enjoy waking up in dirty clothes.”

“I’ve got nothing to do until two in the afternoon,” he said. “Go ahead and change. I’m going to get comfortable too.”

The woman smiled at him and crouched down into her bag and then went back into the bathroom. It took her longer this time, and she came out about eight minutes later with a clean face, brushed teeth, and pajamas on. They were not exactly Bad Habit worthy. They were more “Nice Habit”, pretty and short, but not seduction wear.

He had stripped down to just his boxers, but his eyes zeroed in on her as soon as she entered the space where the bed was. Ulquiorra had been fighting with himself the entire time Orihime had been in the other room. He’d gone three months without having sex. He could hold off longer. “That’s a good habit,” he said from where he sat.

She grinned at him. “I like to think so,” she said. “Do you want to watch TV or talk or sleep?”

Thoughts rolled through his head and he swayed from side to side for a second, trying to decide. “Dunno,” he replied, standing. “I’m gonna brush my teeth and all that, so you try to decide what you want to do.” He disappeared into the bathroom.

“Okay,” she chirped, practically bellyflopping onto the bed, her feet near the head of it so she could face the television. She started flipping through channels, landing on one broadcasting an anime she liked, and then rested her chin on her arms as her legs bent up into the air behind her, crossed at the ankles.

It didn’t take Ulquiorra long to wash his face and brush his hair and teeth. He came back out and watched Orihime for a second while she was preoccupied. “Did you find something?” he asked.

She turned her head so she was facing him before answering, “Yeah, but I’ve seen this already if you’d prefer something else.”

“No, you’re fine,” he replied, climbing onto the bed beside her. Ulquiorra had his back against the headboard, though. The colorful images on the screen were confusing. He had no idea what the hell she had on the TV. “What is this?”

“It’s One Piece. It’s a show about pirates with ridiculous powers. We’re in the part where they’ve just introduced my second husband after Cloud Strife, Trafalgar Law. Look,” she said, pointing to the character on the screen. “Dreamy.”

Ulquiorra snorted with a laugh. “The guy from the anime poster in your dorm room? Okay. You know… I kind of miss college. It was a lot more structured and fit my OCDs better than all of this,” he said with a wave of his hand.

“Yeah, I figured. You’ll probably be one of those rockstars who ends up living a very normal life when you’re not in a studio or on tour. And yes, this is the guy from the poster -  _ was _ the guy from the poster. He got taken out with the trash when I moved. But what’s not to love? He’s a warlord of the sea  _ and _ a surgeon. Dr. Pirate Lord. I mean… you don’t get much better than that. Maybe Dr. Pirate Rockstar. We’ll see.”

An eyebrow was raised. She threw her poster away? Why? What was the point of doing that? “You know… I could make a joke about booty here,” Ulquiorra stated. “I won’t because I’m mature but… just saying.”

“You can make butt jokes all you like. I like butts,” she said, as if she were saying that she liked pie.

“You have a nice butt, Miss Vega. So you said talk, anything in particular you wanted to discuss?”

Orihime shook her head at the butt comment. “Um, I guess, you’ve been pretty busy since we got here and last night was kind of like a write off, so I kind of wanted to talk about us a little. I don’t have any particular talking point or goal in mind, but I don’t want to waste this time we have together in person, either. For starters, like, how do you feel now? I know both of us were really hurting and missing each other, but now that it’s been over twenty-four hours, how are things different or the same for you?”

“Last night was…” he paused to think of a word that could describe last night. “It was intense. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the range of emotions that I did and cried so much, but you’re right, it should be a write off.” Ulquiorra bit his lip, thinking. “How do I feel now? I’m not sure what or how you mean. Like my overall mood; about you; about us?”

“All of the above. And I don’t want you to think I think last night wasn’t important or meaningful. I do. A lot. But that was just raw emotion, not much thinking going on. We needed it. I needed it, at least, but yeah. Anyway, like, I feel happier. I’m definitely happier. I am still feeling cautious, but happier.”

He took a deep breath, “I’m happy, annoyed, bitchy, elated, horny, subdued, happy and hopeful but also, there’s a part of me that says to back the hell up and examine what I’m doing.”

Orihime nodded. “There is a lot on the line. I don’t want to fuck things up again. Like, if I was just going to follow my impulses, I would say, “forget everything, I’m coming back with you and I’ll just be your pet Vega for real,” but it would not be a healthy situation. I need to learn how to not just use creature comfort and sex as a crutch to feel happy. I need to learn how to be content just doing my own thing sometimes. It’s hard. I always feel like I’m starving for affection because I never had much of it growing up, but… I dunno. Maybe it’s making things confusing.”

“If we were following impulses I would have been inside of you last night.” Ulquiorra sighed, feeling embarrassed by what he just admitted. “I think that’s the last thing we need right now. Sex isn’t going to fix anything. It’s just going to make things more tangled. I don’t know how...”

She was glad he was on the same page as her, both in the mature way and the irresponsible impulses. She smiled at him, a big warm one, and rolled onto her side. “You don’t know how to what?”

He started feeling his face get warm. “Like, when I’m not around you, I don’t think about it. I talk to you, or face to face with you and... Getting hard in public isn’t a fun thing.”

“Well, I can’t really speak from cock-wielding experience, but, I mean, I get turned on by you, too. And that didn’t always happen though, right?”

“I was around you all the time. I was always horny. It comes and goes now. I’ve changed a lot since September.”

Orihime’s smile dropped a bit. It made her sad that the innocent happiness they had experienced when they first came together was gone. She had to remind herself that that same feeling led them to the incident in Tier’s basement. It wasn’t easy though; those first several weeks spent in their dorm rooms getting lost in one another had been magical. She laid her cheek on her arm and wrestled with a melancholy feeling. “I haven’t, I guess. I don’t know. I mean, I’m less innocent now, for sure, but the allure of just falling back into a cocoon of snuggles and sex and delivery food has not lost much of its power. How have you changed, do you think?”

Thinking back, Ulquiorra had to remember how he was around her in September and October. He thought back to the time when he went to Ohio in November. The Ulquiorra in December had offered to take them to a hotel room to fuck. “More patience for you. Less tolerance for bullshit. You don’t think I’ve changed?”

“Oh no, you have probably changed a lot. I just don’t know what you’re thinking, so I didn’t want to guess. All I know is what I can observe. You do seem to have more personal strength now. You seem to be more judicious. You also seem more closed off, and you were not exactly open before,” she twisted her lips to the side for a second. “Like I said, it’s just what I can see.”

He shook his head. “I’m an open book to you. I might seem that way because I’m also cautious,” Ulquiorra said. “Ask and you shall get an answer.”

She had to think. “What do you think about me going back to Columbus and potentially performing with Grimmjow and  _ Ivanhoe _ again?” She said Ichigo’s nickname with emphasis for comedic effect. She was still trying to shake of the melancholia.

“I can’t stop you. I know you’re in between things. I’m sure Grimmjow’s gigs make money. You sound nice with him too.” Ulquiorra shook his head. “I know why you don’t want to come out and live with me. Nothing says that we have to sleep in the same room. We can be roommates. There’s plenty of opportunities out there.”

“I’m not opposed to moving to California. I mean, honestly, I like making music with Grimmjow because he is good at it, but the guy is a total asshole. But I know myself, Ulquiorra. If I try to live under the same roof as you, I’ll get sad one night and come to you with innocent intentions and then… I don’t know if you noticed, because you thought  _ you _ were clingy, but I’m pretty bad. I am so desperate to feel loved sometimes that I would rather burn the house down than feel alone. It’s not right, but it’s the truth.”

His heart was breaking all over again and Ulquiorra motioned for her to come closer to him. When she did he pulled her into his lap, holding her. “I was clingy. I wanted you all to myself. I’ve never stopped feeling like I do for you, Vega. I might have pushed it to the side, but I never stopped loving you.”

Orihime couldn’t really speak at the moment, the lump in her throat was too big. Instead, she just nodded and settled her head next to his chin, trying not to fall to pieces again like the night before. After a couple of minutes, she swallowed that lump and said, “I wanted you all to myself, too. I felt like it was a personal failure that I couldn’t keep you, like I was defective. I don’t know what I could have done differently, though. I should probably just let it go, but I feel like there is a lesson I’m missing in all of it.”

There was silence between them as he held her. Ulquiorra thought about all the things that had happened over the months. “We should have taken it slow. I should have stuck to my seven movie, seven week plan. We could have gotten to know each other better. We could have planned for things. We could have established ourselves as a couple. That was my fault.” 

“I was a willing participant,” she countered. “Oh well, besides pointing out where we went wrong, we need to talk about what we want going forward, at least for the short term, and, honestly, especially for me. I mean, your life is kind of on track for you right now, you just have to ride it out. Everything for me is up in the air. I know you don’t like my Uncle Kisuke, but besides my aunt, he’s the only person who has shown an interest in me my whole life. He never failed to send a birthday card or a Christmas gift. I want to hear what he has to say on Wednesday. If I can get out to California on my own and have a place where we can be close to each other but not on top of each other, I think it’s a nice compromise. What do you think?”

It was kind of hard to be on top of each other with four-thousand square feet of space, but what could he do but agree? Ulquiorra nodded. “You’re right. I’d much rather have you in California than Ohio, so that’s a start,I guess.” He swallowed and closed his eyes. He did not think his actions through. She was warm and soft; Ulquiorra liked the closeness with Orihime, but he had just said that they needed to take things slow. “What else are you thinking?” 

“Honestly?”

“Well, yeah.”

She lifted her face up and cupped his cheek. “I’m thinking that I love this fucking face,” she said and pecked his lips before putting her arms around his neck and bear-hugging him. So much for putting off creature comfort. But, on the other hand, they were sharing a bed. They had fucked probably a hundred times already. A little closeness under these circumstances wasn’t breaking any new ground.

His hands found their way under the top she was wearing, trailing along her back while they hugged. “I could just leave,” Ulquiorra said. “I could come back to Ohio. We could find an apartment. I can get a job. We could be happy without all of this.”

She smiled. “We could. I have no doubt we could, until the listlessness set in again, and the dream of this life came back, and then you’d blame us for stealing this chance from you.” She squeezed him tighter. “Or, we could be happy  _ with _ all this. There’s no reason you shouldn’t try to have it all, Ulquiorra. You deserve this chance.”

“With all of this, I can’t have you right now. I was happy with a normal life before.”

“Were you though? Or are you romanticizing it now that it’s over? You compromised a lot to get here, including us, because this was your dream. Don’t forget that.”

He gave a nod, knowing she was probably right. This was his dream, but it had included Orihime and he’d forgotten that. He had let other people lead him around by a leash to get here. Ulquiorra moved the redhead so that she was sitting on his thighs and not directly on his lap. The pressure she put there was going to cause trouble. “Being with you is my goal; it's part of my dream.”

She narrowed her eyes and smiled at him. “Are you saying  _ I am _ the endgame?” She laughed a bit. Surely not. Guys his age didn’t think about stuff like that, did they?

“Maybe? You’re one of the steps of it. If I have you close to me, I’d strive to be a better man. I’ve already shown myself that when Nemu tried her bullshit today.”

“Oh? What did she do this time?” Orihime asked, trying to temper her amusement. She did not have a very high opinion of the stylist, so the fact that Ulquiorra was pissed at her made the redhead smile.

He twisted his mouth to the side. “Nemu was going on about how I didn’t need to pay for a hooker. Which… like I said before, it was none of her business. I didn’t want her in the room if you came out. Not that I’m ashamed, I just… It’s no one’s business who I am with. Anyway, she brought up the fact that I made out with her in the airport back in December. That was before I knew she was ancient.”

Orihime curled her lip. “Don’t remind me. Is that the only thing that bothers you about her? Because I am going to be honest; she gives me the creeps.”

“No, I know I’m not interested in her, but she’s wormed her way into my life. We would cuddle. She would mother hen me. She would--I think she was trying to take your place even though Nemu and I had established that we had no interest in each other,” Ulquiorra stated.

“Ding ding ding ding ding! We have a winner,” Orihime mimicked a game show host. “Although she’s more like a more patient Nel 2.0. You still wear blinders though, don’t you?”

Ulquiorra gave Orihime an unimpressed stare. “I do not. I don’t accept a lot of bullshit from Nemu. I won’t. I told her today that I’m an asshole and practically used her as a bandaid… Not that I said it like that but the intent was there.”

“That’s good. Hopefully she listens. Still, I think I told you before but I think it’s really weird how much she has inserted herself into your life. It was completely unprofessional from almost the start. And with the age difference it’s just….”. Orihime shuddered and got off Ulquiorra’s legs. It couldn’t be comfortable for him how she sat. She set her butt beside him though and bent her legs over his. “Anyway it would be good if she got over it.”

Putting his hand on her leg, Ulquiorra moved it up and down her skin. It was mostly just a comfort thing. “Don’t remind me about the age difference. It’s creepy. It’s gross. But she doesn’t look that old. She does have some wicked ass scars on her shoulders and back. That should have clued me into the fact that she was more than twenty years old.”

“I guess guys don’t pay much attention but it was clear to me that she was much older. I mean she probably uses fillers and Botox and stuff and it gives her a more youthful appearance but if you know what you’re looking at you can tell it’s fake. She probably used to be more expressive. But her neck and hands give her away.”

“Okay, explain how you look like you’re like fifteen?”

“Good genes. Lots of water. Sleep. Pizza.”

Ulquiorra laughed. “Speaking of sleep, you want to lay down and we can talk more? I’m pretty tired from today. There was a lot of socialization and walking.”

“Sure. We don’t have to talk more if you don’t feel up to it. We have the morning,”. She said, moving her legs back to her side and crawling under the blanket.

He followed, and invaded her space, letting his body mold around hers. “We can talk more, but more emotional stuff tomorrow. Not right now. Right now I just want to--” his free hand slid down her side and down her leg. “Feel you.”

She giggled as he passed a ticklish spot, then hummed. “Have at it, but no tickling or I’m not going to fall asleep.”

“Okay but what about...” His voice trailed off as he kissed her neck several times. “Can I do that too?”

Her eyes dropped as he did that and a soft whine escaped her. “Yeah,” she whispered.

He should back up. He should give her some space. He didn’t want to. He wanted to be close by Orihime and cling to her. “I should stop. I’m going to end up going too far if I keep this up,” he murmured against her neck.

“Mmhmm. And I think we established that when it comes to this I have no more self control than you do. So…” She wracked her brain for a topic that might distract them. “What did you think of our set tonight? Not the me and Shu thing, just in general?”

As soon as she said the shortened form of Hisagi’s name, his libido checked itself. Ulquiorra propped his head up with the palm of his hand and looked at her. “From a music standpoint? You could tell that you guys didn’t really practice. The sound was nice but there was something off about the whole thing. I’m not sure what. It could have been the tension between you and Hisagi. It could have been because the others were hung over.”

Orihime sighed. “All of the above. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Shu’s voice is like… It’s a gift. But he doesn’t take music that seriously. Neither does Kira.”

“Are they in it for the women? The money? The partying?”

“Kira is in it for chicks. I think Shu flirts with the idea of taking it seriously but he doesn’t believe in himself. He’s kinda trapped in his past. I felt sorry for him and tried to encourage him, but there’s only so much I could do. Then his whole little crush on me got in the way anyway.”

Ulquiorra sighed. “I don’t think Hisagi would go for it, but maybe he and I could do a song, or all three of us. People who are in this business just for the aesthetic are assholes.”

“You sound like Kisuke now,” she chuckled and shimmied her shoulders so that they pressed closer to his chest. “Anyway, I wonder if he would go for it. I mean he’s clearly over me, so that’s not an issue, but I think he’s still pissed about you punching him.”

“I’m not going to apologize for that. He deserved it for what he said,” Ulquiorra replied. “I would be willing to lift him up a bit by using my name.”

“You’re sweet, you know that?” she said, taking his hand and pulling it up to her lips. After kissing his knuckles, she asked, “What did he say that was so bad?”

“How could I leave such a sweet piece of ass behind. If he could have had you a couple more weeks you’d be begging for him. How you could do anything you wanted and how my dad kicked you out.”

Orihime nodded and said nothing. Shuhei was not entirely wrong. Jon  _ had _ kicked her out. She  _ did _ get left behind. But, he would have needed a lot more than a couple of weeks to get her interested in him enough to seriously consider dating him, much less “begging for it”. A  _ lot _ more.

Ulquiorra nuzzled her ear, kissing the spot under it. “I wanted to kick his ass. I really wanted to just beat the hell out of Hisagi.”

Orihime chuckled. “You big scary man.” She turned to face him and pecked his lips. “Thanks for defending my honor.”

“You’re not mad that I hit him?” he asked before kissing her again. Ulquiorra’s hand glided up her torso until it rested just under her breasts.

“No, I’m not mad. It was between you two. I don’t like violence, but it’s not like you hammered him to death. I think it was a  _ reasonable _ smackdown.”

He sighed in relief. She wasn’t mad at him. She was kind of cool with him punching her singing buddy. Again he sighed, another thought weighing on his mind. “Orihime,” he said.

“What is it?”

“The time in Ohio… in December...” Ulquiorra had to gather the courage to address this. He knew he said no more emotional stuff, but it had been bothering him for months. “I’m sorry about that night.”

Orihime nodded again. “I honestly thought I’d never hear from you again,” she murmured.

“Why?”

“I couldn’t put what had happened aside, and when I tried to talk to you about it you became angry. When I tried to show you why I couldn’t put it aside by replaying the video, you said I wouldn’t hear from you again. You destroyed your room and then flew back to LA and made out with Nemu at the airport. It made me wonder why you bothered to come back; it was clear to me at the time that you were not interested in working things out with me and had moved on.”

He shifted his gaze away from her and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. “I never moved on from you. In fact, when I got the notification that you uploaded a new video and I saw that it was you singing with Hisagi… Nemu was there and she saw me break things that belong to my mom. I broke a really expensive vase. I went nuts because you two seemed to have this… this spark between you, and I was like, well, they must be together now.”

“I understand. You seemed to be  _ really  _ glad to see Nemu at the airport. That vlogger thought so. I thought so. I thought you had been lying to me about her all along," she said and sighed. "I’ll admit, I liked Shu before things got weird between us. I admired his voice, and he was very sweet to me and made me feel like less of a loser. But it was never something I wanted to pursue. I feel kind of guilty about that. I knew he was interested, but I ignored it because I needed him. For my mental health first, and then for a place to crash. That was really selfish.” She shook her head at herself.

It sounded like they both had been selfish. She had used Hisagi to try and get better while he had led around Nemu. He sat up and then straddled Orihime, his knees on either side of her body. “I wasn’t glad to see Nemu. I used her just like you used Shuhei. We needed them at the moment. You are not a loser, Orihime. You’re my star; my person; my woman.”

Orihime looked up at Ulquiorra in awe, and after a second her bottom lip started to wobble. “I am?” she finally asked after swallowing hard several times and wiping a tear off her left cheek.

He gave a nod before grabbing the hem of his t-shirt and stripping it off of his torso. Ulquiorra leaned down, kissing her before he grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest. “You have my heart,” he told her.

Orihime sat up and wrapped her arms around his body, kissing the place where her hands had been, then pressing her face against it. 

He wasn’t used to this. He wasn’t used to her being clingy. Ulquiorra liked it. He could get used to it. He had to take several deep breaths to keep his cool. “We’re going to get through this.”

She turned her face up to his, her cheeks somewhat flushed from emotion, eyes still wet, and whispered, “Kiss me.”

There was no hesitation. He did as she asked, threading his hands into her hair. Ulquiorra’s mouth moved against Orihime’s, pressing against her. This was probably a bad idea, but he needed this. She seemed to need it too. 

Orihime returned the kiss without restraint, whimpering as emotion overtook her again, clutching at Ulquiorra’s back. She was the one who broke it first though, only to declare her love to him, uttering the three-word phrase over and over, punctuating it with another desperate kiss each time. Any pretense she had held onto of being cool and rational had flown out the window. It wasn’t until the muscles in her belly started to tremble with fatigue from her awkwardly seated position that she stopped, flopping back onto her pillow.

He stayed sitting up. Ulquiorra didn’t know that this was going to be so difficult. All he wanted to do was keep kissing her and touching Orihime, but nothing good would come of it. After several seconds passed by he climbed off Orihime and laid on his stomach next to her. He was trying to will his erection away. “I love you,” he said, looking at her.

“I’m terrible at this,” she admitted, biting her lip.

“Terrible at what?” he asked. To be honest, he could be terrible at the same thing.

“Self control, Being mature. Being in love and not letting it consume me. I just want to lose myself in you and never come back out.”

Yeah, they were terrible at the same thing. “You think I’m not? Woman, hnnngh. Do you know how many times I have wanted to have my way with you since I saw you yesterday?”

“How many?” She smiled. She wanted to be flattered.

“Every fucking second. We’ve been around each other for under twenty-four hours so like… at least eighty-thousand times,” he replied.

She laughed, breaking the tension. Maybe they weren’t quite as bad at this as they thought. “You have been quite disciplined then, under the circumstances,” she giggled as she spoke. 

It was then that Ulquiorra rolled onto his side and pressed his body against hers. That didn’t help matters for him. “Am I though? I’m about to say fuck it and take a cold shower.”

She was debating with herself. It was very hard to remember at this moment why they were trying to refrain. “Why are we doing this again?” She asked with a pleading edge, rubbing her thighs together and inadvertently rubbing against him.

“We are trying to refrain from rushing into things again and making the same mistakes and getting so lost in each other that we depend on each other like a crutch, but I can bet you,” Ulquiorra said in a strained, tight voice, “I will have you by the last day. I want it. I don’t want to wait to see if you can come to Cali. I don’t care if we go all the way; I just want you next to me, touching me.”

“I want you, too. And not just to feel good. I just fucking miss you.”

Ulquiorra shifted against her again and then licked his lips, feeling the pleasure arc down his spine. “I’ll make you a promise,” he said. “If we’re still feeling like this tomorrow, we do something about it. We might be slightly more level-headed about all of this by then, though.”

“I think we can manage that, but we need some kind of distraction right now. Um, how about, you find something to watch on TV and I’m going to use the restroom and be right back.” This was a matter of practicality. It would be awfully hard to let go of the lusty thoughts swirling around her head when there was a slippery feeling between her legs.

His teeth sank into his bottom lip as he looked at her. A small almost inaudible whine left him as he rolled onto his back. “Porn okay?” he deadpanned, glancing at her.

She paused as she was getting up. “Are you serious?”

“Do you think I’m serious?”

“I dunno, we never got to the point in our relationship where we talked about our porn consumption.” She was truly curious.

“Uh, well… I don’t watch it often. I don’t even jerk off that much. I’ve not touched myself since I came back from the Thanksgiving trip,” Ulquiorra replied.

A thought occurred to her. “Um, I think I might have an idea… Something to get us through the night at least. I’m going to leave my phone unlocked. You know what’s on it. You have about ten minutes while I rinse off. No questions.” She unlocked her phone and left it on the nightstand and bent over to kiss him, then trotted over to the restroom and turned on the fan and the shower, just to give both of them privacy.

His green eyes went toward the phone and then to the ceiling. He sighed and closed his eyes. He could wait. Ulquiorra had been going for this long. He could wait some more. All he had to do was think of how old Nemu was or how things felt with Nel. It did not take long for his desire to disappear.

As soon as Orihime was locked into the bathroom her pajamas came off. She looked at her body in the quickly steaming mirror and held up one of her desire-swollen breasts and moaned softly. She was not going to last until tomorrow. She was already wet. It seemed a pity to waste it, she thought, letting the fingers of her dominant hand drift between her folds and start stimulating herself. She leaned against the wall, sneaking a peak at herself now and again as she masturbated, choking in tiny hiccups that threatened to give her away. It didn’t take long to finish her task; especially as she imagined Ulquiorra in the next room potentially doing the same thing. She came with a soft whine and then hopped in the shower to wash away the evidence. Another few minutes later she was fresh, dried off, redressed, and significantly less tense. 

She cracked the bathroom door open. “Are you decent?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied with an easy smile. “You?”

He gave a shrug. “I’m good,” he said giving her a smile.

She climbed into bed and settled under the covers, pulling them up to her chin and laying her head on Ulquiorra’s shoulder. “Did you pick something to watch?” She was almost completely at ease.

“No, I figured it’s been a long day,” he replied, kissing the top of her head. “We should try and sleep, if that’s okay.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile, nestling her face into his chest. Her bedside lamp was already off. “Sweet dreams,” she murmured.

***

It took Ulquiorra a long time to fall asleep and once he finally succumbed to it, he didn’t stay asleep, waking up every hour. He chalked it up to the fact that he wasn’t used to sleeping in a hotel room and… He was still fucking horny. He groaned as he looked at his phone screen. It said three. It was three in the goddamn morning and he was hard.

Orihime was warm against him. It wouldn’t take much to grind himself against her ass which was spooned against him.

  
  
It wouldn’t be right. 

However… her phone was sitting next to his on the bedside table. Was her passcode the same? He reached for it, untangling himself from her in the process.

Zero. Nine. Zero. Three.

Her home screen popped into view. 

She said that he could look at them. Ulquiorra shifted his legs, softly groaning again as the fabric of his boxers rubbed against his cock. Fuck.

He moved the blanket to the side. The chill in the room did nothing to dampen the heat he felt in his body. Ulquiorra put her phone down and then hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers, pushing them down until he could kick them to the floor. Unlocking her phone again, the musician tapped on where she kept those pictures. 

Seeing Orihime in those pieces of lingerie were treats to him as he swiped through the photos. He especially liked the pieces he had bought for her. They fit her well. Seeing one pic he liked enough, Ulquiorra reached down and grabbed his cock, his fingers encircling the firm flesh. His breath caught in his throat. 

The hotel bed was rather bouncy, because he felt every shift move the mattress, he was going to have to do this nice and slow or risk waking the woman next to him. His eyes darted to the photo still on the screen as he began to stroke just the head of his dick, using light strokes. This was either going to be over quick or it was going to drag out and be such an explosive orgasm that everyone on this floor was going to hear it.

He started swiping through the photos again, concentrating his vision on the parts of her body he liked the most. Sure, Orihime’s tits were awesome… He had a soft spot for her thighs though. They were warm and inviting. There was one picture that caught his eye. 

She was kneeling on a bed, wearing a white lacy bra with black bows on the straps. The white lace panties she wore had a black bow right in the center. Her thighs framed them perfectly. He knew what was under that fabric. “Hnnngh,” he moaned quietly.

As he stroked his cock, Ulquiorra closed his eyes, remembering their first time together; the heat that engulfed him; how wet she had been; the shocks of pleasure that overcame him as he allowed himself to indulge in that carnal activity. His breathing became ragged as he panted. Another whine left him. If he didn’t do something he was going to come soon. 

  
  
Putting her phone back on the bedside table, Ulquiorra reached down with his newly freed hand and used it to encircle his length too. Fuck.

He couldn’t hold back as he braced his feet on the bed, using his thighs and hips to help him push into his hands. She was still on his mind as he thrust against his hands. “Fuck, Orihime,” he said then hissed as another wave of pleasure caught him off guard.

Biting his lip harder to keep another moan from leaving his mouth, Ulquiorra’s body started tensing. “Hnnngh. Oh God. Woman. Fuck me,” he breathed as he continued his movements. He didn’t care if the bed was rocking. He didn’t give one damn care if he woke Orihime up with what he was doing. It was this or wake her up and slide his cock inside of her.

Somehow he didn’t think she’d mind, but still.

He tipped his head back, opening his mouth as he felt the beginning of his orgasm start in the pit of his torso and spread throughout his body, making his toes curl. He could feel come shoot out of him and land on his stomach and hand. 

  
  
When he was done and he felt the small pulses of pleasure roll through him again, Ulquiorra whimpered. Holy shit. That entire thing that writers penned down about how people saw stars when they came was true. At least it was true after several months of not getting off. 

With a huff of breath, Ulquiorra let his body relax into the bed and he started chuckling quietly, giddiness running through his body. It seemed like years of tension just left him. After several moments of enjoying the bliss, his OCDs started kicking in. He needed to clean up. 

As Ulquiorra got off the bed to go to the bathroom to clean up, Orihime grinned. She had woken up somewhere in the middle but pretended to be asleep, affording him his privacy. She had been gratified hearing him call her name out. Maybe someday she’d tell him about this, she thought with a silent chuckle as she rolled over and fell back to sleep.

When he got back into bed, he didn’t bother putting the boxers back on. It wasn’t like Orihime hadn’t seen him naked before. He cuddled up to her and fell asleep.

He slept until late morning.

***

Orihime woke up and took a shower, and by the time she was finished and dressed, Ulquiorra was still sound asleep. She remembered checking the time the night before when Ulquiorra had snuck away to the bathroom; it had been late. She decided to kiss his cheek and leave him a note before going down to the same supermarket she had visited the day before for coffee and a granola bar or something.

The note read, " _W_ _ ent out for some breakfast. I’ll bring you something. I love you. BRB - Veggs" _

Ulquiorra felt rough when he woke up. He knew he hadn’t slept very well the night before, but his body felt sore. It was probably from everything he had been holding for the past couple of months. He felt the bed beside him only to find it empty as he rolled over and looked. Of course she wasn’t there. He couldn’t expect her to be there every second of every day. This was her chance to make a name for herself, too. He sat up and reached for his phone.

An idea slammed into his brain.

Shit.

He had never closed the photo app.

Oh well. Orihime would probably think it was from earlier and not the three in the morning foray with himself. 

He looked over at the bedside table and saw a piece of paper that hadn’t been there earlier. He picked it up and read it. He then decided to send her a text.

\- Paper? A note? How antiquated. Iced coffee please three cream a shot of caramel. <3

Orihime got his text and chuckled. She got him his drink, together with a small tub of microwavable oatmeal and a banana, and made her way back to the room. She returned less than ten minutes after his text. “Morning, Sunshine! Breakfast!”

He was still in bed, sitting there, naked. He looked up at her as she walked in. “Hey, I didn’t think you’d be back so quick. You should have warned me,” he said flipping the blanket over his lap.

“It’s okay. I already did a livestream on Instagram where I interviewed your penis for a piece in Teen Vogue. Oatmeal?” She joked.

“Ha, ha, ha,” he said in a sarcastic manner. “If you’re getting up close and personal with my dick, you would have done more than just talk to it. Oatmeal is good. Coffee?”

“Yessir,” she replied, handing him a plastic cup. “As requested.” Then she filled the oatmeal bowl with some water and put it in the microwave. “And what, praytell, do you think I would have done with your dick?”

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and smiled before taking a sip of the coffee. He sighed and then set it down on the table beside the bed. If she didn’t mind, then it was cool for him to just tease her a bit and roam around the room completely naked. He stood with his back to her and stretched, reaching his arms to the ceiling. “What’s the weather like today?” he asked as he walked over to the window and drew back the blackout curtains.

“Uh…” she started, sounding somewhat dazed. “Sunny with a chance of dampness. Also it’s a full moon tonight,” she said and crossed her legs.

A smirk was plastered on his face as he turned around. “Texas has weird weather patterns,” he stated, walking over to where she was. “How are you doing this morning, Miss Vega?”

“Oh, um,” she swallowed. “You know me, always ready to tackle whatever the day brings my way. You?”

“I’m feeling less stressed,” Ulquiorra said before he kissed her. He decided he had tortured her enough and walked over to his suitcase which he opened up and retrieved another bag with another outfit in it. Today was a pair of tapered, flat front khakis and a light aquamarine colored t-shirt. He got a pair of socks, his tennis shoes and a pair of boxer briefs from the suitcase too. “I’m going to take a shower, unless you want me to eat first,” he said.

“You should eat first or your oatmeal will get cold. Besides, you have a pretty dick,” she replied as if she were talking about his shirt or smile.

The thing in question twitched at her statement and Ulquiorra put his stuff at the foot of the bed. He then sat back down. “Everything on you is pretty,” he replied.

She blushed at that and brought his oatmeal, plastic spoon and banana over to him. “You have to say that, I brought you breakfast.”

“If you say so. I’ve studied you a lot, Orihime. You’re beautiful. Every inch of you.” Ulquiorra took the items she offered and sat there a moment as he broke up pieces of the banana to put into the oatmeal. “Are you going to be staying again tonight?”

She watched what he was doing, stealing peeks at his crotch from time to time. She stole a kiss quickly before answering. “I got a message from Shu asking if I’d like to play a party tonight after dinner. I called him back and it seems like some kind of fancy thing, like your dad’s Thanksgiving party, so I said yes. I was hoping to go to your coffee house thing first and see if you wanted to come to this thing we’re doing later for a bit. I’d be glad to come back here after; I am starting to get used to this.”

He saw her glances and raised an eyebrow. “I have that thing tonight at 8pm. Nemu says I need to be ready by six pm, although it doesn’t start until eight,” Ulquiorra said. He already read his texts this morning. “You have pictures of it but if you want a live look at, you can.”

She licked her upper lip and then found his eyes. “Later,” she said, before turning around to her own breakfast. “Anyway,” she continued as she sat at the desk, not making much effort to look away from his crotch again as she peeled her own banana, “I’ll get dinner with those guys then and if you become free later you can join us, otherwise I’ll get dropped off here, if you don’t mind.”

Ulquiorra raked his teeth over his bottom lip the moment Orihime held that banana up to her mouth. Hnnngh. He swallowed and looked down at his own breakfast. Later. Later. He wouldn’t be able to focus today. “I’ll let you know if plans change,” he said. It took him five minutes before he finally set his oatmeal down and walked over to where Orihime sat. He had played himself. Instead of teasing her, he had ramped himself up.

“Yes? Did you need something?” She asked sweetly, looking up at him from under long lashes.

Instead of an answer, he kissed her. Once he was sure he got his point across, Ulquiorra turned and walked across the room to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

“I love you,” she called out after him, smiling like a devil as she stuck the elongated piece of fruit back into her mouth.

After the coldest shower he could stand, Ulquiorra came out of the bathroom. It bothered him slightly that Orihime didn’t seem affected by him. She had been calm and collected while he seemed like a hormone fueled neanderthal. It was pathetic how he was acting. He jerked off last night beside her. He just got off in the shower despite the chilly water. He stood near the bed with his back to her, toweling his body off before he slipped his underwear and socks on. 

“Something bothering you?” she asked. He had a frown etched onto his face since the moment he had exited the bathroom. She stood and came over to where he was, sitting on the bed, trying to figure him out.

Ulquiorra shrugged. “Kinda, not really. I feel pathetic. I went for a couple of months without thinking about it and now the only thing going through my head is how badly I want you; to be inside of you. I guess that’s normal for nineteen-year-olds, but damn. All I’m doing is chasing you around while you seem polite about it but not really interested. I don’t know if that makes sense.”

She laughed, but she didn’t wait to explain. “Um, you’ve got it all wrong. I’m trying to be cool. I am trying really, really hard to be cool. Do you remember last night? I was the one mauling your face off. I was the one who snuck off to clean up in the bathroom because I wasn’t going to be able to sleep with as wet as I was from just kissing you.”

“Tch,” he scoffed. He looked over at her as he pulled on the pants he was supposed to wear that day. “Do you think I care if you’re cool or not?”

“Yes, you said we should take it slow. I don’t think I would be able to do that if I didn’t at least try to keep it cool. I mean, it’s…” she reached up and touched his face, pressing her index and middle finger against his lips, the tips resting right under his nostrils. She didn’t know how good his sense of smell was, but despite washing her hands several times, she could still smell herself on those fingers. It didn’t help that she had gotten off again that morning before her shower to the memory of him calling her name in the middle of the night. “It’s not exactly what it looks like, sometimes.”

He kissed her fingers and then her knuckles before he turned her hand over and kissed her palm. Damn him and his words, his logical brain and sense of reason. He really wanted to throw caution to the wind. “It’s just me and you in this room. Act cool or not. I can see out in public, maintaining a friendly rapport but this is you and me,” he said, lips still against her hand.

She whimpered. “So do you want me to tell you to take your pants off so I can taste you, or did you just want me to bend over a piece of furniture because that is what “not cool” me wants to say and do.”

He lifted his eyes to look at her with a chuckle. “Seems to me you already took care of things, didn’t you last night? The shower?”

She cocked her jaw to the side. “Did you hear it or are you just guessing? But yes the shower. Last night and this morning. But you really put me to shame.”

“I put you to shame? How? And I was totally taking a wild guess. I mean… Hnngh.” The mental image of Orihime pleasuring herself in the bathroom overtook his thoughts.

“Did you want an instant replay? Because you are on track to get one,” she warned. He still had her hand on his lips. She was wearing a clingy knit skirt that had a lot of stretch, and stretch it she did as she drew her knees apart. He was walking on thin ice.

Without warning, Ulquiorra slipped the two fingers she had originally put on his lips into his mouth, sucking on them lightly. His gaze met hers and he hoped that she got his look; that she understood the hunger going through his body, wanting to consume her and leave nothing but pleasure in its wake. “Tell me,” he said after he withdrew the digits and kissed the back of her hand.

She opened her mouth and a soft, high-pitched whimper came out. “Tell you what? That I’m ready for you now? That my body is screaming at me to lie back and open for you? What do you want me to say, because I will say it,” she blabbered, a suffering look on her face.

“No I want you to tell me how I put you to shame? Did you know that I did something last night and then not even fifteen minutes ago?”

“I didn’t know about fifteen minutes ago, but I did hear you last night. That was a huge ego boost, thank you kind sir,” she said, blushing and crossing her legs. He wanted not cool? He was getting it by the load. She was so pathetic.

Ulquiorra took a step back and started blushing. “You… You heard me last night? You were dead asleep,” he stammered. 

“I am not the only one who’s not cool, I guess,” she said standing and following him, grabbing him by the hips and kissing him. She pressed up into it and held the contact for a couple seconds before settling back onto her heels. “Next time I want to watch, too.”

It didn’t take much for him to pin her to the wall, plucking at her skirt while he was also trying to get his trousers unfastened and down his hips. Ulquiorra was kissing her deeply, his tongue moving against hers. 

  
  
Then, just as he was going to grab her knee so that he could enter her, the knock came. A rough voice came from the other side. “Ulquiorra, let’s go. We’ve got work to do,” Komamura called out.

“Fuck,” he growled.

Orihime’s head lolled back against the wall and a long, drawn-out whine came through her nose. She pouted. She wanted to have a temper tantrum. She was going to be wound up all day. Her whine turned into a petulant little cry as her eyes turned toward the voice.

“Can I have like fifteen minutes?” He asked in a loud voice.

“No, let’s go. You have five minutes to get out here.”

He turned back to Orihime and kissed her. “Tonight,” he said looking down into her eyes.

Still pouting, she nodded. She was going to need another shower.

“Hey, I promise. Nothing is going to hold me back tonight,” Ulquiorra said. He couldn’t take the look on her face, so he kissed her again. “Shit, I’m going to have to stop now because I still need to get my shirt on and my shoes and somehow get myself back into my pants.”

She knew she shouldn’t, but she couldn’t stop her hand from reaching between them to stroke his length just once. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’m going to hide under the blankets until you’re gone or things are going to get really awkward when they barge in here.”

He didn’t mind when he felt her do that, but Ulquiorra had to take several steps away from her. He put on his shirt and his shoes. “You know… I’m not going to ask for a return touch because I could smell you on your hand. That’s going to be in my head all damn day. I’m leaving my keys here with you, again.” He smiled as he carefully tucked himself back into his pants. “I’ll text you the address to the coffee place, okay?”

She had to clear her throat. “Yeah. Sounds great.”


	3. Breathe Again

Komamura had other surprises for him when they got to the coffeehouse. Gin was there, standing beside his mother. What the hell were they doing here? It seemed like a bit much for record executives to be at an almost nobody’s gig. 

He texted Orihime the address anyway, and told her what time to be there. 

“Ah there’s my star,” Gin said, gesturing for Ulquiorra to take a seat.

He scowled as Nemu plunked an iced coffee in front of him. “Did you—“

“Yes, cream and I got you white chocolate today.”

Oh. He continued to give his manager, his mother and Gin a dirty look. “This seems like overkill,” he pointed out.

“You’re not the only artist from Espada Records here. Perhaps you need your ego deflated,” Maria stated.

“I’ve got to keep an eye on my personal project. Maria’s here to make sure Jackie doesn’t have an incident like she did last year. Of course there is that one guy… oh, what is his name…”

“Yukio,” Komamura offered.

“Right, the little blond who does the amazing Dubstep.” Gin smiled at Ulquiorra. It felt like a threat or a challenge.

“So here is the plan, this set is only supposed to last for half an hour. That’s four songs and some talking,” Komamura said. The manager looked rough and Ulquiorra kind of felt bad for him.

“Which songs? Where are Ggio and Aaron?”

Gin clapped his hands together. “That’s the thing! You can pick any four songs you want. Those two are doing their own thing this morning. So it’s just you.” 

The older adults turned away from Ulquiorra and he bit his lip. He could pick any songs he wanted? He was going to need help.

  * help meeeee. Pick two songs for me to sing.



Orihime smiled at his text, still sitting on the bed in the hotel room.

  * hmm, anything? Anything at all? In that case Please Forgive Me and Bound to the Floor



Ulquiorra gave his phone a disgruntled look. Please Forgive Me needed a keyboard to sound right. He sighed.

  * it’s just me today. Ggio and Aaron are doing their own things today. I’ll put Bound To The Floor on the list. Need three more songs. I would do Please Forgive Me but… 



Orihime knew what he meant. 

  * Hmmm, then your favorite. Also the easiest. Then one that you’re not sure about but want to try. Sorry can’t be more specific but I don’t know what you’ve been working on lately :/



The green-eyed male took her suggestions into account as he scrolled through his YouTube… He could do… No… What about… No. Ugh. He felt someone sit down across from him and he lifted his eyes up. His mother. “Hey Maria,” he said.

“Oh, It’s Maria now?”

“You’re not much of a mom, so I figured you wouldn’t want me to call you that,” Ulquiorra replied and stuck the straw of his iced coffee into his mouth, not wanting to talk anymore.

“What are you working on?”

“My set list,” he said with the straw still in his mouth. He didn’t see the nod. “What do you want?”

Maria sighed. “I want to help you.”

“Why, you dropped me, remember? I’m now at the mercy of Gin and Tosen. No thanks.”

“Ulquiorra, please.” Her tone made him look at her again. He could see the hurt in Maria’s eyes. “I understand your girlfriend is here. I would like to meet her,” she said.

He shrugged. “That’s up to Orihime, not me. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do?” Ulquiorra asked. She was offering an olive branch, so he might as well try.

“Sadly, I don’t. Why don’t you do two covers and two songs from the album?”

Ulquiorra’s mouth twisted to the side as he thought about it. “Did Ggio and Aaron really have their own gigs today?”

Maria nodded. “They have a side band all of their own. It’s some kind of fusion genre that doesn’t really fit with Espada Records. Ggio has a good voice, but he’s not marketable material. Too short. Too arrogant. We’ve tried.”

Oh. 

“Ulq, I know I’m hardly there for you, but I am proud of what you’re doing. A lot of people would have crumbled or turned to drugs and partying. I--”

He didn’t want to hear this. Ulquiorra slammed the cup down onto the table. “Stop. I don’t need to be upset before this happens. Do it afterwards.”

He heard his mother’s chair scrape against the floor and knew she had gotten up. Not even two minutes later a piece of paper was shoved onto the table and a pen thrown on top of it. He sighed as Nemu sat down. “Koma wants your setlist. Write it down.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” she replied, folding her arms over her chest and frowning. “The people on the other side of the wall were vocal in the early hours of the morning.”

Was she saying she was his room neighbor? If that was the case, then shit. She probably heard everything. Ulquiorra avoided her gaze as he wrote down two songs. The third song was easier and he finished with Bound To The Floor.

“Something In the Way? Everybody’s Free? Whore?” Nemu said and snatched the piece of paper away from him. She scoffed. “I’ll take this to Koma, but don’t be surprised if he comes over and talks to you.”

God, she was being a bitch. Ulquiorra didn’t think that they were bad songs. He knew them. He knew how change the words to make it match his gender. Nemu was probably just butthurt about the fact that he wouldn’t have sex with her. 

And sure enough, after Ulquiorra texted Orihime his song selection, Komamura sat down across from him, his hands folded on the table. “Kid, Nemu tells me that you’ve been distracted.”

Distracted? Of course she would say he was distracted. He wasn’t focused on her and had Orihime around. He opened his mouth to deliver a comment but the manager held up a hand. 

“Look, I know your girl or woman is here. I know she’s performing around the city. But this is your opportunity to make it big. You do well here, 'n maybe your ten city tour turns into a thirty city tour. I need you to focus. You’ve got a lot on your plate. You don’t deliver and I can guarantee that you’ll be back in Ohio, posting cover songs on Youtube,” Komamura said. “Once this week is over, invite this Vega back to LA. Rekindle your romance there. Do not do it on Espada Records’ time. Got it?”

He had to admit that Komamura was right. He needed to focus on his gigs. He wanted to focus on Orihime, though. Ulquiorra nodded. “I got it. I’m focused on music,” he replied.

“I mean, get your rocks off if it helps, but I need Obscuras IV here. If you need hookers or whatever to achieve that, then go for it. Get some groupies,” Koma said. “I ain’t one to judge.”

His band manager stood up and walked away, leaving Ulquiorra feeling slightly disgruntled. Hookers? Groupies? No, thank you.

***

  
“Hey Orihime,” the tired, disinterested voice greeted her.

“What’s up, Shu?”

“This show tonight. There have been some requests.” He did not sound pleased about this.

“Oh? What kinds of requests?”

“Well, they want us to recreate our _magic_ , whatever that is. No Kira or Momo or Ikkaku. Just us. They want you to wear something pretty.”

“Pretty? That’s vague. I generally don’t wear ugly clothes.” Orihime was clearly displeased by the implication.

Shu scoffed. “Also, I’m going to need you to put some makeup on me. They don’t want to see my bruise, thanks to your little boyfriend.”

Orihime sighed silently. “Alright. I’ll bring my stuff back, and you guys can help me pick something to wear and we can fix your face.”

Another scoff. “You don’t have to be so mean about it, Hime. You know I like you. Would it be so hard to, I dunno, let me down a little easier?”

“I’m sorry, Shu. We talked about this already. It is what it is. Anyway, were there any other requests?”

“Yeah, they want us to do a bunch of songs. You need to get back here so we can run through them.”

“I’ll be there by three-thirty. The show isn’t until eight. That should be plenty of time.”

“Okay. See you soon, Hime.”

The call ended and Orihime blew out a breath. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with lovesick Shuhei Hisagi. She packed up all her stuff and grabbed Ulquiorra’s rental car keys and a bite at the grocery store again, then headed over to the coffee shop.

***

He opened with Everybody’s Free then followed it up with the OIV cover of the Local H song. Then came his rendition of Nirvana’s Something In The Way. Ulquiorra had seen Orihime in the crowd and kept his eyes on her as he spoke into the microphone. This was just like performing that one time at Sado’s.

“I’ve always liked this song and uh, someone special sang it for me… Well we performed it together,” he said giving the crowd a glimpse into his life. “This is Whore.”

He adjusted the strap that held the acoustic guitar and he started playing the chords. His voice sounded dark and Ulquiorra knew he was playing for one person in that room. “I’m the guy you’ve been thinking about. The one thing you can’t live without. I’m the guy you’ve been waiting for, have you down on your knees; have you begging for more.”

He went on with the song and still looking at Orihime. The crowd erupted into applause when he was done and Ulquiorra bowed before leaving the stage. 

Komamura handed his guitar off to Nemu who was already putting it in the case. “That was good. That was great. See what a bit of focus can achieve. Gin had to leave but he said you’ve got this down. You’re a natural. Get something to drink and I’m going to have a word with your mom.”

Ulquiorra wasted no time in finding Orihime in the gaggle of people. “Hey,” he said, walking up to her.

“You were fantastic!” she cheered, a huge grin on her face. “I couldn’t help but notice that I was, uh, monopolizing your attention, though. May want to give the rest of the audience a taste of your love. _On stage_ , that is.” She leaned in to give him a hug.

“I tried. It was nerve-wracking up there. I mean... “ He sighed and embraced her. “Uh, We’ve got to talk about something. Koma, my manager… He wants me to focus and says that you’re a distraction. No more sleepovers, I guess, at least for a couple of days.” 

Orihime’s face fell flat. “Is he fucking kidding? What’s next, he’s gonna set you up with some actual hookers?”

“I have no clue. He said he wouldn’t judge me if I needed them, but you know I want nothing but you.”

Orihime rolled her eyes. This sucked. “I have your car… are you going to need it today? I mean I got all my stuff out of your room, because I thought I might need something tonight, so at least there’s that. Umm, oh yeah, here,” she said pulling his keycard out of her wallet. She was not getting laid after all. He had promised, and she was dumb enough to let herself believe it was more than just words.

He sighed. “Orihime, this isn’t my fault. My boss is here. I’m under scrutiny from all angles. Even my mother is here,” Ulquiorra said. He felt bad for letting her down.

Orihime raised an eyebrow and scanned the room, sneering unreservedly when her eyes landed on Nemu, but unable to recognize Ulquiorra’s mother. As she looked around, she spoke. “I get it, it just sucks. We should have done something this morning.”

“Well we have time right now. I don’t have that other gig until eight,” he replied, putting his hands on her hips. They could totally go back to the hotel and go a couple of rounds, fucking themselves stupid.

Orihime sighed. “I have to get back to Shu. The people throwing this party have all these requests and we have to figure out how to sing them. Ugh,” she groaned loudly. “What time is it now? I don’t have to be there until 3:30.”

“It’s around two-forty. Fuck,” he complained. “Do you want to make plans for tomorrow and we can meet up; hang out? I’m really sorry, Babe.”

She shook her head and planted a solid kiss on his lips. “Tomorrow will have to do. Did you need your car, or can I keep it overnight?”

“Keep it, that way it guarantees I see you tomorrow,” he said, before returning the kiss. “Maybe we can have a date one of these nights while we’re here?” Ulquiorra didn’t know how agreeable she would be to that.

“As long as it’s not Wednesday, I can probably make it work. Damn it. Is there a…” Orihime’s neck twisted around again as she scanned the room for the restroom sign. What was she thinking? She didn’t want her first time with Ulquiorra after all these months to be in some filthy public restroom. She shook her head and looked back at him. “I love you. I should go now, or I am going to drag you to the toilet.”

“I love you. And no bathrooms. You’re worth more than a bathroom fuck,” he said.

She gave him a hug and a kiss and turned to leave. She took a couple steps and then turned, one eyebrow cocked, “Oh, and Ulquiorra, just so we’re clear, Vega frowns on hookers. Severely.”

He grinned. “Okay, but where does she stand on groupies?”

Orihime used her thumb to mime the action of someone’s throat being slit. “On top of a pile of their corpses, I imagine,” she growled, then smacked her own ass as she turned and left.

Her disappointment evaporated slowly during her drive over to Momo and Ikkaku’s neighborhood, and by the time she arrived she was in much better spirits. She bounced up to Momo’s door and knocked.

The shorter woman came to the door, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, Orihime,” she said in a low voice.

“What happened to you, Momo? Are you sick?” Orihime was worried. Momo seemed out of sorts, at least.

“No, I’m fine. Had a bit too much to drink then got in a fight with Shu last night. He’s back over next door. I’m thinking about calling up my ex just to show him what he’s missing.”

“Well, that’s an option. I was actually going to ask you if it’s okay for me to stay with you again, Ulquiorra’s band manager doesn’t want me there. Apparently I’m a distraction.”

Momo scoffed. “You can say that again,” she said, checking Orihime’s ass out in her clingy white striped skirt. “I’d do you.”

Orihime gave the woman a half smile. “If I weren’t all up Ulquiorra’s ass, I’d let you.” Orihime had to bite her lip, hard. She was way too wound up. “Anyway, is it okay if I stay?”

“Do you have any other option?”

“Not really. I could sleep in Ulquiorra’s rental car.”

Momo sighed and nodded. 

“Thanks. Do you want to come next door while we rehearse?”

“Sure,” Momo said, leading her way to the door.

***

Orihime had let Yumi and Momo go through her luggage and pick out something for her to wear while she and Shu rehearsed and Kira and Ikkaku critiqued them. The set list was _very_ romantic. “Is this some kind of anniversary party or something?” Orihime asked.

“You didn’t tell her?” Ikkaku squawked with laughter.

“Didn’t tell me what?”

“This is a wedding reception.”

Orihime’s face said it all. This was not what she had in mind. Sure, she had performed at plenty of wedding receptions, but it was always lounge stuff. The problem with them is people always felt entitled to ask for performers to stay and play longer, often at a discount. Plus they had a tendency to demand songs and get upset if she didn’t know them.

Shuhei saw her grimace. “C’mon, Hime. It’s for this couple whose family has all these connections in Austin and there are going to be industry people there. Plus we’re getting a thousand bucks each.”

That changed things. “Oh,” Orihime said, her eyes widening. She could use a thousand dollars. Desperately. “Why didn’t you say so? Do these people also want me to go catch an armadillo and teach it to sing? Because for that much money I would consider it,” she said, chuckling.

So she and Shu rehearsed. They rehearsed what they had already performed on YouTube, plus the extra numbers from the Peach Cobbler show, plus Maroon 5’s What Lovers Do, Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years, John Legend’s All of Me, Bruno Mars’ Marry You, and Unchained Melody. It was very, very cheesy, even by Orihime’s standards. However, Shuhei assured her this was what the happy couple wanted. 

What made it worse, though, was that Shu sang these sappy, romantic songs as if he meant every single lyric and he meant them for her. It was too much, and Orihime had a hard time getting into it, and the moments that she did, she found her mind drifting toward Ulquiorra, which made her either anxious or horny or melancholy. Yeah, they were working things out, but they hadn’t done it yet. They had a long way to go. The lyrics in these songs pointed out all their shortcomings and hurts. By the time the rehearsal was over and it was time to start getting ready to go, Orihime was half glad she wasn’t going back to his hotel room. It was too soon. They had almost jumped right back into the fire that had burned them up the last time they were together.

“Hey, Vega!” Orihime heard Yumichika’s feminine voice call from down the hall as Shuhei was packing up equipment. She followed it until she got to the master bedroom, finding Yumi and Momo and a pile of her clothing on the bed.

“What’s all this?” Orihime asked.

“Options,” Yumi said, starting Orihime on a series of outfits, and finally arriving at an interesting choice: a black circle skirt that fell right below the knee and a black silk camisole with lace detailing at the top. 

“You guys, this is underwear, I hope you know that.”  
  


“I know and I don’t care,” Yumi retorted. “It looks beautiful and delicate and elegant. Do you have a necklace or something to go with it?”

“No,I don’t have any jewelry,” she responded. That wasn’t true; she had some really chintzy costume jewelry, but felt it wouldn’t go with this ensemble. 

A scoff came from Momo. “How long have you been with that loser that he didn’t buy you any jewelry?”

Orihime had to think. “Um, we were only together for about a month.”

“That’s it?” Momo looked very confused. “He acts like you have been together for years.”

“Well, we’ve been friends a couple years.”

Yumi interrupted. “Too bad, just go without it. Do you have any black pumps?”

“No, I only have boots,” Orihime answered.

“What size shoe do you wear?”  
  


“Seven.”

“Same as you, right Mo? Can she borrow some?”

Momo nodded and left to go back to her house and get the shoes. A moment later Shu popped his head in the door. “Wow.”

“Wow what?” Orihime asked, her back to him, then turned around.

“Double wow. You look really… You look pretty,” Shu said with a blush. “Are you ready to hide my shiner?”

Orihime laughed. “Thanks. Yeah, let’s go to the bathroom, there is better light in there.” She grabbed her makeup bag and followed him into the bathroom and told him to take a seat on the closed toilet, so she could reach his face more easily. In the next room, Ikkaku and Yumi were bickering and Kira was playing his guitar loudly. It was obnoxious, so she closed the door before walking back to the sink and opening her bag.

She took out a small sponge and some concealer, and started dabbing the beige concoction onto his cheek. “So, Shu, what happened with Momo? She seemed to be kind of discouraged.”

Shu cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. It didn’t work out. I like her, but not like… I’m not the kind of guy who is in it for just a week, you know?”

Orihime hummed and nodded. She never thought that he would be interested in something like that. “You mean you’re married to Ohio? I know with your probation you have to have permission to leave, but I’m sure something could be worked out. She really likes you.”

“I really like someone else.”

Orihime closed her eyes for a moment, slowly releasing a breath. It was fair. She had said the same thing to him, more or less. She decided not to comment on it. “So, you’re staying here then? I’ve been kicked out of the hotel, too. Something about being a distraction, can you believe that?” She laughed and tilted her head to see if she had hidden the bruise from all angles. There was a shadow on his face, so it was hard to tell. She took a step closer to him to check. “I’m going to have to blend this in, so let me know if I hurt you,” she warned, turning her sponge over to the clean side.

Shu sighed. “So you’re back?”

Orihime nodded. “Mmhmm.”

Shuhei’s hands came up to Orihime’s waist and pulled her down to sit on his knees, their noses nearly touching. “So you’re not sleeping with him?”

Orihime was in shock. What the fuck just happened? She opened her mouth to speak and at first the only thing that happened was her breath washing over Shu’s face. She blinked a few times and found her voice. “No, but--”

Shu had only heard what he wanted to hear. He tipped his chin forward and that was all it took to capture her open lips in a kiss. He wasted no time teasing the opening of her mouth with his tongue. 

Once again, Orihime was shocked. It took her almost two seconds before she was aware of what was happening. Then she started to flail, pulling her face back. “Shu! What are you doing?!”

He didn’t let go, gripping her waist with one hand and with the other grabbing her shoulder in an attempt to keep her in place. “Don’t, Orihime. He doesn’t want you. I do. I’d never leave you halfway across the country. I’d never kick you out of my hotel room. Please, just give me a chance,” he pleaded with her, before going in for another kiss.

Orihime actually put her hands over his mouth, since she couldn’t get away. It worked; he stopped. After a moment he dropped his hands too. His eyes took on a pained expression as Orihime stood up.

“Shu, I’m sorry. I told you before and I’ll tell you again. I am in love with Ulquiorra. You could be the best guy on planet earth, and it wouldn’t change that. You need to respect it. I really like you. I like performing with you. We sound great together--”

“Can you imagine how we’d feel together?” he interrupted, a desperate kind of look on his face. 

“No. I can’t and I don’t. Now please, let this go,” she said, picking up her bag and leaving the room.

***

He had been so focused on letting Orihime down that the gig at the gay bar was almost a disaster. He missed the cues Aaron gave him. He couldn’t concentrate on the lyrics he was singing. Ggio pulled him to the side.

“What the hell man? Get it together!” 

“I’ve got it together,” Ulquiorra growled back.

After the sixth song, for which he forgot an entire chorus, Komamura pulled him to the side after Ulquiorra announced a break. “What the hell is wrong with you? Focus, because you’re quickly tanking,” the manager bitched.

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Maybe it’s because I have all these people telling me what the hell to do!”

Komamura rolled his eyes. “Excuses! You’re always going to have someone telling you what to do in this business. Do you need to call someone to get off? Or do you know someone who is into whatever shit you’re into? Drugs? A drink? Normally I don’t encourage this stuff, but you really need to get your head out of your ass, Ulq.”

He huffed. He didn’t need to get off. He didn’t use drugs. He didn’t need a drink. “Is that people’s solutions to everything? You can’t get your shit together so here’s some substances?” Ulquiorra walked towards the bar and ordered himself a bottle of water. He couldn’t have much else since he had a bold black X on the back of his hand.

“Problems?”

Ulquiorra couldn’t contain the eyeroll as he heard Nemu’s voice. “Why do you care? All you want to do is fuck me,” he snapped.

“I do not. I want to help you,” Nemu said. 

“Bullshit,” he stated and turned to look at her. Ulquiorra was mad. Everything felt off and it had felt that way all damn day. He glared at the stylist. “What do you want?”

“Don’t get mad at me because your girlfriend won’t have sex with you. You’re the one who used me because your fragile little ego couldn’t take being rejected,” Nemu said.

Ulquiorra’s eyes narrowed even more. “Wow, you want to help me? As soon as I get back to Los Angeles, I’m finding a new stylist.”

“Everyone in Los Angeles is the same. They all want to fuck you or fuck you over, Ulquiorra. You’re just as bad as the rest of them.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it, pressing his lips into a thin line. He felt his phone buzz and turned, walking back to the stage area and behind the curtain. He slipped into the dressing room and flopped onto the couch and read the text message.

Orihime had texted Ulquiorra on the way to the wedding. She was still upset by Shuhei’s actions.

  * something weird happened. I don’t know what do. Text me when your show is over. Good luck tonight <3



He probably shouldn’t reply. He was too irritated. Ulquiorra did anyway, because he was worried by her message.

\- The show isn’t over but we’re taking a break. I’m not doing so well. I can’t focus. I keep forgetting words to the songs. I’ve felt off all day. What happened?

Orihime sighed. This wasn’t the right time to tell him.

  * sounds like you have bigger problems. I’ve got it handled so I’ll tell you later. As for the focus thing, just remember what we talked about before the show at Sado’s. Pick something to look at. Breathe. You’re a pro. You got this. I believe in you <3



Ulquiorra ran a hand over his face as he watched her message pop onto his screen. He blew out a breath. The thing he had focused on was her, and Orihime was nowhere around. It wasn’t her fault he couldn’t focus. 

\- Are you sure you’ve got it handled? You can tell me anything, you know this. It’s not like you’re leaving me for another guy… Are you? My problems are big, that’s true, but she was supposed to go back to LA. I have a feeling Nem is gonna be sticking around.

Hmpf. Orihime was not surprised.

  * Hate to sound like Nel but she is *so desperate*. NOT LEAVING YOU. Also I don’t want to further distract you from your performance. I will let you know the second anything gets out of hand again, although it shouldn’t. Maybe focus on the one person in the crowd who looks like they need your song most.



It was a bar full of gay, drunk people on the prowl for something. Ulquiorra wasn’t sure if there was anyone in the crowd who needed their songs at the moment. He heard a knock on the door before it came open. 

“It’s time,” Aaron said.

When Ulquiorra got back out on the stage, he looked for the one person in the crowd that he could connect with. His eyes locked on to Nemu’s. Not the most ideal person, but it had to do.

***

Momo sat at a table absolutely fuming as she watched what appeared to her to be Shuhei giving Orihime a private serenade in public. What was so special about the redhead? She didn’t even really care about Shu. She did not seem happy to be there. Why was he so hung up on her?

She continued to sit and watch them on the pretense of playing with her phone. It wasn’t until they started the Maroon 5 song that she saw it. It was the first song that wasn’t totally wistful or bittersweet. This was upbeat. Fun. Orihime appeared to engage. She made a bit of eye contact with her co-performer and smiled. 

Shuhei began to shine in response. He smiled and acted confident. He hit notes that he had no business singing. He loosened up. He also looked at Orihime like she was some kind of treat.

Momo has been recording the songs that she liked. Maybe she could learn a thing or two about what made Hisagi tick by watching them. Also, maybe she could convince Ulquiorra that it was in his best interests to take his girlfriend as far away from the other singer as he could, as quickly as possible. She took a still from the video, one where Shu was giving Vega a smoldering gaze, and texted it to Ulq.

  * Dude. Somebody wants to eat your girlfriend. Can’t you get her a room of her own or something? I’m getting cockblocked.



***

Thirty minutes later he got the text and scowled. What the fuck?

Ulquiorra packed his stuff into Koma’s van before he texted Momo back.

\- Where the hell are you? That doesn’t look like a venue.

Momo got his message and rolled her eyes.

  * They’re playing a wedding. $$$



This made his blood boil. Didn’t he tell that bastard that his girlfriend was off limits? Maybe Orihime was playing both sides of the fence. Maybe she was reluctant to sleep with him because she was also sleeping with Hisagi. 

\- When are you guys done there? I’m meeting you at your house. Hisagi is going to get his ass handed to him.

Momo smirked.

  * we should be back in about an hour if these dipshits at the wedding don’t throw more money at them. They’re almost out of songs. Vega looks done with it. I’m not supposed to even be here. She begged me to come along. Wouldn’t say why tho. 



Ulquiorra had a feeling that the thing that happened to Orihime had to do with Hisagi. Fuck Komamura and his focus thing. Fuck Nemu and her damn offers. Fuck his mother and her half-ass apology. That was his woman, and he was going to bare teeth and snap at anyone who dared to take her away from him.

\- I’m gonna get something to eat and then catch an Uber to your place. Do not tell anyone I’m coming.

And he did just that. He left the club with the manager and waited for Momo to reply.

  * you got it, Hoss. I’ll send you the google map with the address. Ikkaku and Yumichika should be home.



It took him thirty minutes to eat with his bandmates, and when when they left, Ulquiorra ordered the car. He then got a text from Nemu just as the driver arrived to pick him up.

{ why aren’t you with Aaron and Ggio? I’ve been waiting in your room for you. We need to talk, Ulq.

\- No, we don’t. I have something I need to take care of. It’s urgent. Like this is a huge ass problem for me. Or it will be if I don’t address it. Also… Get the fuck out of my room. I don’t want to talk to you Nemu. If you want to talk about the looks I was giving you during the show there’s no point. They were just me focusing on something. 

He didn’t get a reply back. It wasn’t like Ulquiorra cared. When the car pulled up to Momo’s house, he got out. The lights were on at Ikkaku’s house and he saw his rental car. He decided to text Momo, just to make sure.

\- You back yet?

There was no reply for about five minutes.

  * on the way. At a red light. I’m driving. ETA 10-15 min 



Orihime had insisted that Shu sit up front with Momo, and pretended to be asleep in the back to avoid any awkward conversation. When Momo got Ulquiorra’s text and returned it, Shuhei was curious. 

“Who’s texting you that needs a reply while we’re driving?”

Momo rolled her eyes. Now he cared? “Nobody special, why do you ask?”

“No reason. I just think it’s kind of weird that you can’t wait ten minutes to get home before responding when you’re driving. I could have done it for you, you know.”

“Uh, no you couldn’t. It’s private,” Momo replied, slipping her phone into her left pocket.

Shuhei raised an eyebrow. “You move on pretty quickly,” he said and chuckled.

“No, I don’t.” Momo was not one to mince words.

***

How the fuck was Texas so hot in the daytime but chilly at night? Ulquiorra sat on the hood of the rental car with his arms crossed over his chest, trying to conserve body heat, when a car pulled up. It had to be them. He waited for the car to shut off and the people to get out to decide what to do. He could go after Hisagi. The idea wasn’t appealing to him, but he could totally tackle the guy and just start wailing on him like some kind of possessed person.

He didn’t think his body would appreciate it. He didn’t think Momo would like it. He didn’t know how Orihime would feel about it.

The other idea involved showing Hisagi that Orihime was his. Ulquiorra would ask Momo where the room Orihime was going to use was located, take her back there and make her scream his name.

For some reason he didn’t think the women would appreciate or like that.

When the car came to a stop, Orihime opened her eyes. She got out of the car and started walking toward the house before the car was even shut off. Then she saw him.

“Ulquiorra? Ulquiorra!” The frown she had been wearing melted away in an instant as she ran towards him.

He caught her by the waist and then looked at Hisagi with a deadly stare. “Momo, I need to borrow a room,” Ulquiorra said. “Let me in.”

Momo was more curious and amused than anything. This was going to the story-telling highlight of the year, to be talked about for many to come, she was certain. “Have at it, Ulq,” she said, opening the front door. “Should we have some coffee brewing? Or would you rather we went to Ikkaku’s?”

“Stick around,” he said, walking past her and taking Orihime with him. Once they were inside the small house, green eyes turned to the redhead. “Which room were you using here?”

“The office, it’s right here,” she said, pointing at one of three doors in the tiny home. There was a bedroom, a bathroom, an office, and an open kitchen/living area. That was it. Inside the office there was a small sofa and a desk and some musical instruments. It was cramped. The sofa just barely fit Orihime lying down, but that was where she was meant to sleep.

He slammed the door shut behind him and then stared at Orihime. Ulquiorra wasn’t mad at her. The anger would be directed at Hisagi later. Right now he felt like a predator, waiting to pounce on some prey. “You know why I’m here, don’t you? You have to have some idea.”

“Um, you missed me?” she asked, hopefully. Then a thought occurred to her. “Did Momo say something? Did I tip you off with the texts? I was trying not to be a distraction again, but… You deserve to know.”

Deserve to know what? Was there more to this than she was telling him? Ulquiorra dug his phone out of his pocket and then brought up Momo’s text. “Dude. Somebody wants to eat your girlfriend. Can’t you get her a room of her own or something? I’m getting cockblocked,” he said, reading the dark-haired woman’s words. “She even sent a picture.” 

Orihime looked at the picture and frowned with a sickened expression. “Even after what I told him? I don’t know how much more clearly I need to say it. Do I need to slap him? He tried to kiss me again today.”

“He did what? Why would he try to kiss you even after you told him you didn’t want him and he got punched?”

“He said that you sent me back here so that meant you didn’t want me. I told him it wasn’t like that but he wouldn’t listen.”

Ulquiorra scoffed. Irritation ran down his spine. Ugh. These assholes didn’t know when to quit. “Here is what is going to happen. I’m going to finish what we started this morning. You’re going to get all your stuff. I’m going to get you a hotel room at the Hyatt; if I can’t you’ll stay with me.” He paused and stared at Orihime. “Or, I’m going to go out there. I’m going to do more than just punch Hisagi and you can stay here.”

Orihime was slightly frightened. She had never seen him like this before. It was also arousing. “Do you like my dress?” she asked nervously.

“It’s nice and I’m probably going to ruin it. I’ll replace it, but still,” he replied. “Which one do you want?”

She didn’t answer, but pulled the camisole over her head and set it on the desk and then unzipped the skirt and stepped out of it and Momo’s shoes. She approached Ulquiorra and went straight for his fly, kissing him as she pulled down the zipper.

He responded by pulling her closer, his hands roaming over her body. “Don’t get me wrong,” Ulquiorra said, breaking the kiss. “I’m still going to beat Hisagi’s ass into the ground, but I’m making you mine again first.”

“I’ve been yours since September,” she purred into his mouth as she pushed his jeans down past his hips. She had no interest in being discreet about this. If this is what it took for Shu to get the message that she was with Ulquiorra, she would send it loud and clear.

Ulquiorra shuffled Orihime backwards until she was against the desk. It didn’t take much for him to lift her onto it. After that it was just a matter of taking his shirt off and throwing it in the direction of the couch, toeing off his shoes and shoving his pants the rest of the way down. Just remembering everything that had happened to them already, and his need to be inside of her was overwhelming him. As he shoved the boxer-briefs down his hips, his cock sprang into view. “I know what I said. I’m not going to let some asshole try and take you away from me. I’m not going to play a waiting game to see if Hisagi wants to die if he pursues this,” he growled before kissing her again. He moaned as his hips came into contact with Orihime’s body. He broke the kiss, panting. “We can take it slow after he gets the message and you’re in California with me.”

Orihime stared hard into his eyes and nodded, adding breathlessly, “He could chase me but he’d never catch me. Not while you’re in my life.” Then she pushed her lips to his again, practically drinking his tongue into her mouth.

A whine left his throat as he cupped her breasts, kissing her a few seconds more. Ulquiorra wanted all of her. Not just kisses and touches. He wanted to mark her. He wanted to claim her. He had never felt this way for another person in his life. Breaking off their kiss again, Ulquiorra moved his mouth down to her neck, sucking on the skin while using his thumbs to stimulate her nipples.

Orihime had a problem; she still had her panties on. She raised one hip and then the other, trying to shimmy them down to her thighs, panting and out of breath. She could feel the blood vessels in her skin breaking under Ulquiorra’s mouth and it only turned her on more. “Oh,” she moaned at his touch, simultaneously feeling the damp panties slide between in inner thighs as she got them down to mid-thigh. That was about as far as she could go on her own, they were stretched as far as they would go.

He looked down to see why she was shifting around and his eyes landed on clothing stopping his progress of getting laid. They narrowed as he recognized the lacy black panties. He’d bought them for her. They probably went to a bad habit. Fuck it. He stepped away from Orihime and with both hands tore the lace from each side of her thigh, letting the now scrap of fabric fall to the floor. “That’s better,” he said as Ulquiorra returned to his position.

Orihime took a sharp inhale at his action and then looked into his eyes, her own twinkling with wonder. She giggled a bit and then put her hands on his body, letting her palms make contact with all her favorite parts as she craned her neck up to capture his lips again. She let her inner thighs move up and down the sides of Ulquiorra’s legs as she undulated her body in a serpentine motion, changing the points of contact as she did.

He wasn’t in the mood for a game of cat and mouse, and that’s exactly what her movements felt like to him. Ulquiorra took Orihime by the hips, positioning her at the edge of the desk. Holding her with one hand and his cock in the other, he let the head slide against her. Holy fuck, she was wet.

He was impatient. She was impatient too, sure, but she was a little scared. It had been awhile. Ulquiorra was pretty well-endowed. She was worried she might not be ready. When his body touched hers, she whined. She was wetter than she had thought. She removed her hands from him and put them, palms down, on the desk behind her. She leaned back slightly and spread her legs further, biting the corner of her lower lip and looking up at Ulquiorra with dark cheeks and darker eyes. She lifted her knees and kept moving them apart until her soft folds parted on their own, revealing the slick pinkness underneath. Orihime closed her eyes and hissed at the cold air on the exposed skin, then reopened them. “Do it, Ulquiorra,” she said in a firm voice to reassure herself.

“Do what? Fuck you hard? Remind you what it’s like to be claimed by me?” he asked in a deep, lust-filled voice. Ulquiorra was still rubbing himself against Orihime and getting lost in the sensation of how their bodies felt.

“Yes. I want you to fuck me. I want you to fill me and mark me. I want him to smell you on me when I walk out of here. I want him to see the bruises and know that they’re from you,” she answered in a low, raspy voice. “I want to remember how it feels to be your lover.”

A slow, steady breath left him as the head of his cock slipped into her. Ulquiorra’s eyes rolled back and he bit his lip to keep from embarrassing himself by moaning or whimpering. He had forgotten what this felt like. He’d forgotten how good she felt against him. As he continued to press inside of the redhead, heat engulfed the length of him. Fuck, this was just like the first time they had sex. “Orihime,” he murmured once he was entirely inside of her.

“Ulquiorra,” she answered in a high, reedy voice as her hands came off the desk and wrapped around his shoulders. The feeling of oneness at their reunion caused her to feel overwhelmed with emotion. “Oh, god, I missed you.” she said, latching onto the skin under his jaw.

Echoing the sentiment, Ulquiorra said, “I missed us. I missed this. I missed you.” He grabbed her thighs as he began to draw back, once again feeling that wave of pleasure assault him. “I love you. I love you.”

Orihime released his skin and choked back tears. “I love you so much, Ulquiorra. I--” she couldn’t speak again before a small sob broke through. “I can’t stand it. I need you. I love you. I want you and I just want to be with you. Please,” she begged without filter. This was too much. Too much relief to so much pain; too much pleasure and too much hope and too much love. She trembled as she kissed whatever skin was nearby.

“Shhhh, we’re going to be together,” he said as he began to move with her. Already the tension was pooling in his thighs. “Touch yourself for me. I’m not going to last long.”

She didn’t want to. She wanted to hold him to her and in her for, well, forever. But, she didn’t want to disappoint him, either. She nodded into his chest and brought her right hand down the front of his chest until it was between them where they met. She backed up enough to allow herself a glimpse of where their bodies connected. She gasped at the sight. _Oh shit._ She had never seen it before. The way her lips cradled his cock and the reflection of her wetness in the dim desk lamp light renewed her desire. “Fuck, that’s us,” she breathed as she grasped the base of his cock firmly and pulled it back into her before she started caressing her nub in small circles.

His heart about stopped. His brain didn’t respond. With just that touch, Orihime broke him. Heat traveled up his cock and torso as he glanced between their bodies and her face. “Orihime. Oh God. Woman. My woman,” he moaned. His pace picked up as he rocked into her body faster.

She whined, loudly, in response. “I love you, Oh.” Her breathing began to hitch as Ulquiorra’s movements became more and more intense. She could feel her walls heat and swell, making everything more sensitive. The movement of her fingers made her inner thighs tremble and spasm. “Ulquiorra-ah!” she called out as his cock plunged in and out of her at a punishing pace. She let her head fall back as she surrendered to his drive, letting high-pitched, feminine grunts push through her throat with each thrust.

Something fell to the floor with a thud but Ulquiorra didn’t care about anything but Orihime and himself. He reached with a hand to grab her chin and kissed her, his moans becoming louder. The fire that had been at a dull roar poured through him and he felt ecstasy race down his nerves. “I’m coming,” he said to her, looking at the redhead before he squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck!”

Orihime wasn’t quite there yet. “Stay in me after you’re done,” she ground out through clenched teeth, before taking a deep breath and holding it as she worked her fingers with more intention.

It would be a challenge but Ulquiorra could do it if he needed to. He felt his cock pulse inside of her as he continued to thrust. Even after the shocks of pleasure died down, he continued his pace, sliding in and out of her, digging his teeth into his bottom lip. “Hnnngh,” he whined.

She was close. So close. “Just press deep and stay,” she whispered on an inhale, then held her breath as her orgasm started to buzz through her body, starting at her toes and shoulders and vibrating its way up and down her to her core, where it ignited what felt like a bomb exploding in her belly. Her legs seized up and she finally released her breath and a loud, “Ah! Ulquiorra!” then panted as her walls started to squeeze and release his softening length and her clit burned and felt like a top spinning at full speed. “Oh fuck, Ulquiorra,” she huffed after the worst -or best- of it was over. She still touched herself, though, her eyes pressed shut, and her legs jerking upward as the last of her pleasure shot through her veins, until the sensation became unpleasantly overstimulating. She relaxed her legs and let her chin hit her chest for a moment as she tried to catch her breath, putting her wet hand over Ulquiorra’s shoulder for support.

His legs were shaking. Ulquiorra had to lean against her to keep from just dropping to the floor. “That--I--Jesus,” he huffed trying to find words to describe what he wanted to convey.

She was still out of breath. “I… I’m dead,” she chuckled.

“Same,” he replied with a small laugh. 

Ulquiorra tilted her face up and kissed her slowly, gently. “As soon as I recover, I’m kicking Hisagi’s ass.”

She reached her lips back up to his and kissed him again, this time with more fire in it. When she broke it a moment later, she said, “I know I shouldn’t encourage you, but… hnngh.” she leaned into his face again and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, gently pulling on it and humming with it between her lips. When it fell out, she said, “I want you to claim what’s yours.”

“I want you to come back with me. Stay with me. I’ll get you a plane ticket back to Ohio,” Ulquiorra said, staring at her with a heartfelt expression in his eyes.

She held his gaze with tears in her eyes and nodded. She didn’t want to go back with Shu. She didn’t want the other man to have any false hopes. She didn’t want to give Ulquiorra a hint of doubt about her. She didn’t want to be without him for a second longer than she had to. “Yes.”

When his lips met hers there was more passion behind it. There was no way Ulquiorra could get it up again, at least for a little bit, but the sentiment was there. “Let’s get dressed and get out of here,” he said with a smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed for a few seconds, then let go, and very, very carefully got off the desk. Her hips were sore. “Um, can you pass me what’s left of my underwear? I don’t want to make a huge mess,” she giggled in embarrassment as her feet hit the floor softly.

Ulquiorra did as she asked, bending down, grabbing the fabric, and handing it to her. “I’ll replace them,” he said quietly as he watched her. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m hurt, just a bit sore, you know, like after you’ve worked out the first time in forever,” she said, giving him a grin and turning around to clean herself a bit.

He went around fetching his own clothing where he had thrown and kicked it. Ulquiorra turned his back to her as he put the shirt, underwear, and pants back on. When he was done, he pivoted and watched her. “How was it performing tonight besides your human killjoy?”

She had the camisole on and pulled the skirt up her legs without underwear and zipped the side, then turned to face Ulquiorra. “Um, it was a very, very lovey-dovey setlist. It was wistful and bittersweet. It made me think about us a lot. There was one song that wasn’t so serious, and that was fun to perform. He is easy to sing with. It might be the crush, but he is responsive to my cues, even if I don’t really try to give them. But you know, it may just be his personality. He’s kind of a collaborator type, I think. I may be more of a dictator,” she said with a self-deprecating smile.

A laugh left Ulquiorra. “You a dictator? I wouldn’t have guessed that at all,” he teased. Walking towards Orihime, the musician drew her close and hugged her for a long moment. He breathed in the smell of her hair.

“How does it feel to have me like this again?” she asked. A small part of her was worried it might feel different.

“Truthfully? It feels like home. It feels like I’m complete. Without you, I’m nothing,” Ulquiorra replied. “You?”

“Same. I’ve been living in limbo for months. I finally feel like I can breathe again.”

“Let’s grab your stuff and get the hell out of here before I decide to be more of a wrathful dick and tell Hisagi off.” Ulquiorra hugged her before letting her go. “I love you, Orihime.”

“I love you, Ulquiorra.”


	4. A Snake in the Grass

Sunday’s gig went smoothly. Ulquiorra and his other two bandmates did an interview in the morning and then a theatre show that night. Monday was a small acoustic radio show in a park and then a show at a place called The Bat Bar.

Maria thought it was hilarious.

Ulquiorra did not. “I see no similarities between me and bats.” They were sitting in a cafe on Monday afternoon, waiting for a late lunch and for Orihime to turn up. Ulquiorra had warned his girlfriend that his mother was there and it was up to her whether she wanted to come meet the woman or not. “Honestly...”

“Oh, Ulquiorra. Sometimes you bring me a lot of joy.”

“And others?”

“Other times I think I should have--”

Ulquiorra scoffed. He did not want to hear this, especially coming from his mother’s mouth.

Orihime picked that moment to enter the cafe. Despite her small size it was hard to miss her in the short, gauzy white sundress she wore, her long auburn hair falling over her back and shoulders in loose waves. She also had a big, somewhat floppy brown hat on with sunglasses, giving her an air of mystery. She turned heads. 

After she was a couple steps inside, she removed the sunglasses and looked around for Ulquiorra. When she finally spotted him she grinned and waved, weaving her way through the tables scattered throughout the cafe. When she reached them, she greeted them with a sunny, “Hi,” then stood at the end of the table, awaiting introductions.

Maria raised an eyebrow as she looked over the young woman. This must be the infamous Orihime. She turned her head towards her son. “Well?” she asked.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes as he stood and pulled out a chair for Orihime and kissed her on the cheek. “Orihime, this is Maria Cifer. Mother, this is Orihime Inoue or Vega Strife.”

Orihime smiled politely at the woman. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Cifer.” It was a clear _mizz_ , not _miss_ or _missus_.

The blonde woman smiled back. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much from Nanao and Nemu about you. Sadly, my son doesn’t talk about you with me,” Maria said. “Please join us. Sit down Ulquiorra. You’re not going anywhere.”

The green-eyed male sighed and returned to his seat while glaring at his mother. He grumbled quietly to himself, occasionally making small audible snide remarks to the woman.

Orihime raised her eyebrows marginally. This was a new dynamic; one she didn’t much care for, from either party. “Well, it comes as a surprise that either of Ulquiorra’s assistants would have much to say about me, since I’ve met neither of them. Are they part time private eyes?” she asked with a chuckle. She was making a joke, but she wanted to know the answer anyway.

“Do you want to meet Nemu? She’s expressed interest in meeting the person who inspires Ulquiorra,” Maria replied with a smile. This only made Ulquiorra grumble louder and start huffing.

Orihime put a hand on his thigh and squeezed gently, without looking away from Maria. “If circumstances permit, I wouldn’t be opposed,” Orihime answered as if it was not a very interesting proposition, but one she would indulge the stylist nonetheless. She sighed after her answer and let her eyes wander. “What is a stylist doing at South by? Seems a bit excessive. Is she into finding new acts?”

Ulquiorra was going to answer but his mother beat him to it. “Nemu filled in for Nanao. Nemu agreed because she needed more time to analyze the members of OIV to cultivate their appearances for their upcoming tour.”

Orihime chuckled silently at that and set her chin in her palm, smiling. “How dedicated.” She wasn’t going to let this woman get under her skin. Orihime had no illusions that this lunch was anything more than an opportunity for Maria Cifer to intimidate her. She was mentally prepared.

“Can we get back to what we were discussing before you decided to laugh at something stupid, Mother?” Ulquiorra asked. He didn’t want this thing to turn into a cat fight. 

“The bat thing? You looked like a little bat with the big eyes and ears when you were a baby. I just think it’s funny that Koma booked Obscuras IV for a show called The Bat Bar,” Maria said. “Of course, you had weird eyes as a baby. All I saw when you opened them the first time was nothing but irises.”

Ugh. Of course she was going to turn this into a time to embarrass him. “No, about my schedule. It seems like a big deal that I’ve been doing at least one interview or two shows a day. Why? I’m no one.”

“Wrong. You’ve just hit a million subs on YouTube. Also, I think your Instagram is about to hit a million. We want to get your name out there. We want to see you succeed. There is the fact that you need to prepare yourself for what’s to come. Before this week, how many times have you performed live?”

Orihime squeezed his thigh again at the mention of the subscriber counts. “Congratulations,” she murmured to him with a smile. She knew the answer to Maria’s question, but it wasn’t her place to supply it.

“Thank you,” he said to Orihime. His mother had to have known he never really performed in public before the show with Vega IV. “One time,” he answered.

“What if you were to go on tour, only to find out that you couldn’t perform live? That you either sounded terrible or choked up?” Maria took a sip of her lemon water. 

This made him sigh. His mother was right, but still, it irritated him. “Why are you here?” Ulquiorra asked. “Orihime’s right. With all these Espada Records people running around, it seems excessive.”

Maria’s eyes shifted to the redhead and then back to her son. “We’re taking an interest in our artists. The same thing will happen at Coachella and any other really big music festival our people are performing at. Don’t worry about it, though. The only other music festival you’re doing is in Ohio and it’s part of the tour. You would know this if you paid attention during all those meetings. You didn’t pay attention because of your--”

“Okay. Okay. My head is on straight now. I don’t need a lecture about how I mentally checked out for three months.”

Orihime pursed her lips. He really had no idea, did he? And his show Saturday night had not gone well. Maria and the label were right to use this week as an opportunity to put him through a practice run before his tour started. Maybe a few small shows in LA would have been a better starting point. On the other hand, it was as if they were doing an audit, using the festival as an opportunity to see which acts were performing and drawing audiences and which were not up to snuff. Her eyes turned to Maria and awaited elaboration.

Maria looked at her son with a serious expression. “Espada is sinking a lot of money into you. You’re going to perform an actual concert on Thursday. It’s not an arena or an enclosed venue, but you’ll be performing in front of a large crowd in a park.”

Oh shit. “I suppose this was covered in a meeting?” Ulquiorra asked.

The blonde nodded. “I vouched for you. If you don’t do well, my job is on the line,” she said.

Double oh shit. Ulquiorra sighed. He had done this to himself. He’s the one who decided not to deal with reality or the three-month break up between him and Orihime. Reaching under the table he grabbed his girlfriend’s hand and squeezed it. “Anything else I need to know?”

Orihime stepped into the conversation. She knew he was getting stuck in his head. “You’ll do fine. The only difference performing in a small venue and a big one is you need more energy to spread your love to the people in the back of the crowd. You can be charming. I’ve seen it,” she said with a smile and returned the squeeze to his hand.

Ulquiorra wasn’t too sure of this.

***

Ring. Ring.

“Hello?”

“Nemu, darling, it’s Sousuke.”

“Oh, hello Mr. Aizen! How can I help you?” The stylist was standing in her hotel room looking at sketches she had put together for Obscuras IV as a band. She was trying to decide whether she should totally fuck over Ulquiorra or not. It didn’t seem fair to the others if she did that.

“You’re working with Ulquiorra Cifer?”

Nemu sighed as she let Aizen’s silky smooth voice wash over her and shivered. “Yes, I am,” she said, almost hypnotized by his words.

“I know he’s at South by Southwest. By any chance is Orihime Inoue down there?”

The woman’s name broke her of the spell and the her face morphed into a look of distaste. “She is down here. Ulquiorra has met up with her several times, though they’re supposed to be separated.”

“Could you do something for me? I’m in a terrible bind at the moment and need someone of your caliber to help me.”

She could totally help him. After all, Aizen had helped her many, many times. Every time he was in Los Angeles, he made Nemu feel like she was a queen. “What can I do?”

***

Ulquiorra had another show that night. Orihime hung out in the area beside the stage, obscured by curtains. She had come with Ulquiorra and avoided contact with his band manager and mates. Just knowing she was there helped him perform without incident.

When the show was over, Orihime snuck out and took the rental car back to the hotel while Ulquiorra stayed with the band for a bit and planned to get a ride back with them later. He had not been able to get her her own room; the hotel had been booked up for months before the festival. Orihime had his keycard, and came up to the room with a bag full of snacks and drinks, unlocked the door, and let herself in. The room was not empty.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” the redhead demanded as her eyes landed on the older woman with black hair.

“Oh!” Nemu turned around quite surprised at who entered the room. That wasn’t Ulquiorra. “What are you doing in here? I am in here to discuss options for Ulquiorra’s attire for Thursday.”

“You couldn't do that in the morning? It’s pretty creepy for you to be just hanging out in his room with our stuff in it without letting us know. He’s not planning on being back for awhile; he’s with his band and manager hanging out at the venue.” Orihime was not having this. This woman had no boundaries. She needed to be put in her place.

“No, this needs to be addressed now,” Nemu stated. “You’re not even supposed to be here with him. You’re distracting him and making him lose focus.”

“He seemed laser-focused tonight with me there. I think you’re just upset that he’s happy. No more sad puppy for you to glom onto. Do you even think about your professional reputation? You used to be _the_ person, or so I’ve heard. Now you’ve sunk all your time into one relatively no-name client that you allowed to become skeletal and that you barely do anything to style. I dunno… seems like career suicide. Anyway, you just realized that his look needs to be addressed? Just now? Where are the clothes, then? How do you mean to style him, naked? What have you been doing these past three months? Just trying to seduce my boyfriend?”

Hmph. Nemu crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t seduce him or try to. He was the one talking about us having sex. He wanted to see if I was a boring fuck. He’s the one who made out with me at LAX when he came back from Ohio. I’m the one who’s had to suffer through his temper tantrums and his clingy affection. Not you.”

“Huh, does Espada Records know that that’s what they’re paying you to do?” Orihime asked, her chin jutted out at a superior angle. She wasn’t letting Nemu’s words get to her in the slightest. Not now, anyway. “By the way, you are not special. He trashed his dad’s house before he left too. He was clingy with his former “best friend”. Get over yourself.”

“I’m quite aware that I’m not special. I never expected to be special to him. Let’s talk about you, though. Bouncing from his father to a former friend of his. The gifts he bought you. The songs and the messages. Nanao has access to all of that and she’s read it. Did Ulquiorra tell you what happened right before we came out here? Did he tell you how he undressed in front of me?”

Orihime smiled and rolled her eyes. “Yes, he did. And what’s the big deal about the gifts and the messages? Seems kind of judgy for someone who plops down next to a _client_ in her underwear in a steam room. As for Ulquiorra’s dad?! Gross. He is a father to me . He let me live with him and _his boyfriend_ because I had no place to live. I worked in his coffee shop. It was completely innocent. I only stayed at Shu’s place for a couple of days after I had to leave Ulquiorra’s dad’s house because his boyfriend didn’t want any kids there anymore. I had my own room. I don’t actually know why I’m telling you this because it’s none of your business,” she laughed, “it’s just all so ridiculous that you would even care, much less bring it up like it somehow excuses your unprofessionalism.”

Nemu smiled. “He told me to join him. He’s the one who crossed the line of professionalism with the kisses and the cuddles.”

Orihime mouthed the words, “Oh my god,” as Nemu continued to go on. “I know what he did. He told me. The fact of the matter is he does not owe _you_ professionalism. He is the client. You are the professional. Get your act together, lady. You’re losing it.”

“I have pictures of us you know. Pictures he allowed me to take. Pictures of him sleeping beside me. Pictures of him holding me. Don’t tell me to get my act together. It is together. I would suggest that you watch yourself. Wouldn’t want to make a fool of yourself,” Nemu said as she walked to the door.

“You are a hopeless nutcase,” Orihime muttered under her breath, following her to the door to lock the deadbolt. “The only fool here is you, Nemu. Get your head checked.” 

The stylist scoffed. “He called you a whore you know, a hooker. It makes sense since he has you in his room. Are you that hard up for money that you need his?” Nemu opened the door and walked out into the hallway, slamming it shut behind her, not wanting to hear the redheaded bitch’s reply. That almost didn’t go as planned. She had almost gotten caught.

Orihime was fit to be tied. She was pleased that she managed to keep her cool in front of Nemu, she thought while locking the deadbolt, but she was fuming. She decided to let Ulquiorra know what happened before the psycho next door could.

  * Nemu was in our room when I got here. We got into it. Threatened me, said I should “watch myself”. Also kept talking about all the stuff you two did together and bragging that she has pictures of you two sleeping together and whatever. Says you wanted it and talked to her about having sex with her. Says I’m a whore. Said that I “bounced between your dad and Shuhei”. What the fuck? She is butt-fucking crazy. I locked the deadbolt so let me know when you’re almost here.



Ulquiorra didn’t know what to say. Some of the things were true. Nemu had a couple of pictures of them laying down. She had promised that they were going to be used to show Nanao that he was okay and relaxing. He had given her permission. But... He was getting taken for a fucking ride again. There was no way he was going to let that crazy stylist tear apart his relationship with Orihime.

  * I’m gonna get my keycard from her when I get there. I’m pissed off. This is totally unacceptable from someone like her. I’ll knock four times when I get back. I think we’re almost there. Aaron drank too much and started getting sick. 



Orihime was still livid when she got his message, pacing up and down the length of the hotel room, growling and sneering at the furniture. She felt vindicated at his words.

  * Good idea. Sorry dude drank so much tho. That’s gross. I’ll wait for 4 knocks.



When they pulled up to the hotel entrance, UIquiorra jumped out. “Koma, which room is Nemu in?”

The band manager got a concerned look on his face. “Uh, she’s in the room beside yours… Why? Ulquiorra!”

He took off running into the hotel not bothering with the elevator. Somehow he hoofed it up all those stairs and was out of breath by the time he reached his floor. He had to walk slowly down the hall and he knocked lightly on the door next to his on the left side. No one answered. He moved down to the door on the right side and tapped lightly.

Ulquiorra wasn’t surprised when he saw Nemu open the door. “Give it,” he snapped, stomping through the door. 

“What?”

“I SAID GIVE IT TO ME!”

“Give what?”

Ulquiorra was furious. “I know you were in my room. Everytime I leave and you’re not around, I bet you’re in there going through my things aren’t you?”

The stylist started pouting. “But some of those things aren’t yours. You know she’s not supposed to be here. She distracts--”

“Bitches like you distract me. You make me fucking nervous. Give me the keycard to my room. If there’s a problem, my girlfriend can take care of it,” Ulquiorra snapped, holding out his hand. “Why the fuck did you say anything to her? Why were you in my room? Are you trying to drive me to kill myself, Nemu? Because that will absolutely happen if I don’t have Orihime in my life somehow on friendly terms.”

“You have issues that you need to talk to Doctor--”

“Don’t try to be my mom. Just don’t. Okay? I know how Maria is. I know how my dad’s boyfriend is. I never had a mother figure in my life and I don’t need one now! Give me the fucking keycard, Nemu.” He was so angry that he was shaking, small tremors going through his body. “Do it or I’m gonna call the cops. You have no right to that key and you know it. You’ve lied to me since the beginning of this business relationship.”

Nemu turned around and walked towards her purse which was sitting on a table. She cautiously extracted the card and then handed it to him once she reached him again. “Just remember what you did and what you said. It’ll come back to bite you on the ass.”

“Get fucked, Nemu.” With that Ulquiorra turned around and walked out of the hotel room, going down to his own. He knocked four times and waited for Orihime.

Orihime had heard a good deal of what was said next door. There was an adjoining room door between the two rooms and she had opened the side to hers and Ulquiorra’s room so there was very little sound barrier. She was near the door when Ulquiorra knocked and opened it a moment later. “Wow, are you okay?” she asked as he entered the room. She let him come in and she locked the door behind him. The door to the adjoining room passage was still open.

Ulquiorra handed her the card and then walked into the bathroom. He left the door open as he splashed water onto his face. “I’m fine,” he said, holding onto the counter as the water dripped back into the sink. “Why do you ask?”

“I could hear almost everything you guys said,” she replied, standing near the entrance of the bathroom but not crowding it.

“I’m fine, Orihime.” He straightened his spine and reached for a towel, wiping the water away. He then walked into the room and saw that other door. He had questioned what it was, but never said anything out loud. “What’s that?”

“It’s an adjoining room door. The other door opens to Nemu’s room, but you need her key to open it. She could have used your key to get through these this whole time.”

Ulquiorra let a hiss out as he walked over and slammed the door shut, making sure there was no way the crazy bitch on the other side could get through. He even jammed a chair under the doorknob. “Okay, it’s kind of creepy that she’s on the other side of that door and she’s been able to listen to us do our thing, but whatever. We need to address your text message.”

Orihime nodded and sat on the end of the bed, biting at the edge of her thumb. “One thing that didn’t occur to me to tell you in that text was that she had a camera in her hands when I walked in. Like one of those small digital cameras people take on vacation. She put it in her pocket and then started arguing with me so I got distracted. I don’t know what she was getting pictures of or if she was planning on taking pictures of you or what, but it’s worth mentioning.”

He sighed. That would have been useful to know before he went in there yelling at Nemu. “Yes, Nemu has pictures of me and her together. She said she was sending them to Nanao for verification that I was okay. This was before you came back into my life. Whenever I got drunk I would bring up the sex thing with Nemu, but I never went through with it. I was still hung up on you and couldn’t do it because I knew how I felt about you. You’re not a whore. You better not have bounced between my dad and Hisagi or we have big problems. I know you wouldn’t do that though.”

Despite saying that he couldn’t do it, hearing that he had discussed having sex with the other woman felt like a sharp stick in the gut and it showed on her face. “Yeah… um, your dad is like… like the dad I wish I had, and you know about what happened with Shu,” she said in a semi-detached voice. Her thoughts were swirling.

“We were broken up, Orihime. I wanted to do it to see if I wanted it. I didn’t want it. I don’t want anyone else but you. It wasn’t like Nemu and I had heart to heart conversations about it. It was mostly me making lewd, drunken statements to her,” Ulquiorra said. “I love you. I want you. I don’t want some crazy middle-aged woman who thinks she can manipulate me.”

Orihime nodded and looked up at him and back down to her shoes. “I know. Still stings, though,” she said in a small voice. She never had to test her feelings for him. She always knew how she felt. 

Ulquiorra sat down on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you going to have a problem with this?” he asked.

“What?” She was confused. “I’m just being open.” Now she was starting to feel defensive. 

He looked over at her. “I know you are, but I’m asking if you’re going to have a problem with this. We were fine when I left Ohio before Thanksgiving. I don’t want anything like that to happen. Orihime, she means nothing to me, while you are everything.”

“Okay. But let’s not forget that everything was not fine before Thanksgiving. I got carried away, but there was still a lot of repressed brokenness between us then.” She took a breath and shook out her shoulders. “This is different, because you’re right, we were broken up. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to hear it though. I mean, I didn’t consider moving on with Shu or anybody else… It’s a bit of an ego blow more than anything, I guess. I’ll get over it.”

“I’m not telling you to get over it. I’m not asking you to get over it. It happened when I was drunk, except the sauna conversation where I firmly turned her down. I want nothing but honesty between us,” Ulquiorra stated.

“Me too. Is this what she meant when she told you to remember what you did and said that would bite you?”

“Probably,” he said. Ulquiorra sighed and pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean? You don’t remember? I mean, I’m starting to worry that every time you drink there runs a risk of a repeat of what happened with she-who-shall-not-be-named.”

Shaking his head, Ulquiorra wasted no time in answering her. “I think she meant the kisses and I was the one to bring up us having sex the first time it came up.”

“I see. Well, regardless of what she meant, she seems to have it out for us as a couple in a big bad way. I asked her about whether or not she gave any thought to her career and her answer was just ridiculous. She said you crossed the line of unprofessionalism first. It’s like she lives in an alternate universe. You could have begged her to fuck you; it doesn’t change the fact that you’re the client and she provides the service. She stopped caring about professionalism from the get-go, from the sound of it. I mean, if she was a masseuse and you asked for a happy ending that would just make you a solicitor. If she provided one that would make _her_ a hooker. Different roles…”

Orihime flopped backwards onto the bed and released a unvoiced growl, closing her eyes and pressing her palms into her temples. “I am just so _angry_ at her. I have a lot of reasons to hate a lot of people but I don’t. But her… It’s closer to that word than anybody else has ever come.”

Ulquiorra laid down beside Orihime and held her close for a moment. “It’s okay to be angry. I’m angry at her too, but I can’t punch her.”

“I don’t suppose I can either, huh?” she asked without expecting a response. 

He chuckled in her ear before he rolled over onto his back and brought her with him. “I find it hot that you want to defend my honor, Veggs,” Ulquiorra said as his hands travelled up her sides.

She was pleasantly surprised at his response, honestly. She’d half expected him to defend Nemu, at least to a degree. A smile spread across her face despite her foul mood and she said, “Well, it’s only fair, right? Plus, I can’t abide potential usurpers.”

Ha, it was bold of her to assume that Nemu even had a chance with him. “They can try, but I don’t think there is anything that will push me away from you. I’m here to stay. I’ve learned my lessons. I’m taking them to heart,” he said pulling her down to kiss her.

She let him kiss her, and she returned it, but after he pulled back with a self-satisfied smirk she had to ask the question, “You have? And which lessons are those, if I may ask?” She dipped her head back down and kissed his cheek, letting her nose settle into the crook of his neck while awaiting his answer, just to take the pressure of her gaze off of him.

“To never take you for granted. To listen to you. To be wary of people like Nel and Nemu. Don’t assume things,” he replied to her. “I love you.”

She sat up on him and smiled. “Those are good ones. Any others?” she asked, rolling her hips over his in an excruciatingly slow manner. His reaction to this situation was starting to turn her on.

Uh… Uh… She was asking him to think now while she was doing this? Ulquiorra licked his lips then swallowed as he watched her. “Not that I can think of at the moment--Hnnnngh,” he groaned as she hit a particularly sensitive spot. “You know, I can just imagine you kicking Nemu’s ass. It’s kind of hot.” 

“Oh yeah?” She asked with a little smirk. “And how would that go?”

“You winning. Nem slinking away with her tail between her legs. Us riding off into the sunset.”

“Ha. I bet she has no scruples. It’d be an unfair fight. I’d have to be on my toes. Anyway, besides feeding your fantasy machine, anything you want to do tonight?” she asked, walking her fingers up his belly and chest until her breasts were pressed against him, then bopped the tip of his nose and watched his eyes.

Ulquiorra’s eyes crossed for a moment as he watched her tap his nose. He had to blink to get them to straighten out. “Besides the obvious,” he said, smiling at her. “I really don’t think there’s anything I want to do. Unless...”

“Unless?” She raised an eyebrow at him. He wore a devious expression.

“Unless you want to give me head again,” Ulquiorra replied.

Orihime rolled her eyes, but smiled. “And what would give you the idea that I’d ever want to try _that_ again?” It had been a point of contention during their breakup.

He held up a hand and put the other one as close as he could to his heart. “I solemnly swear I’ve forgotten all classical conditioning when it comes to that activity and I promise to take cues from you?” Ulquiorra blushed for a moment. “We don’t have to. We can cuddle or I could--you know...”

“Hmm? I assure you I don’t,” she said, sitting back up to look down at him. She couldn’t decide whether he was being cute or clever.

Orihime was going to make him say it, wasn’t she? His face continued to grow hotter. “I could go down on you,” he mumbled.

Orihime grinned at him. He _was_ cute. “Why don’t you get cleaned up a bit and we’ll see how it goes? I’ve got something to show you, anyway.”

Immediately Ulquiorra perked up and he pushed himself up with his arms. “Yeah? What do you want to show me?”

“I’ll show you when you come out. Hurry up!” She pecked his lips and hopped off of him, eyeing her bag. She’d brought something that he hadn’t seen yet.

He had never moved faster than he did scrambling off of the bed. He stripped off his shirt, shoes, socks and pants before stuffing them all into the mesh laundry bag. Ulquiorra smiled over his shoulder at Orihime before he peeled his boxers off his hips and down his thighs. “Wanna join me?” He asked turning around to face her with his hand covering his groin.

She considered it. She was going to say no, but then the idea of a wet, naked Ulquiorra appealed to her. “Actually, Yeah. Let me just hide my surprise and I’ll meet you in there.”

Hide her surprise? His eyebrows raised. “Why can’t you just tell me what it is?”

“It won’t be nearly as fun. C’mon, get in there!”

Ulquiorra sighed dramatically and then walked into bathroom to start the shower. It didn’t take long for the room to become steamy.

Orihime stripped down and grabbed a small bag and brought it with her to the bathroom, opened the door and asked, “Hey Hotshot, steamy enough for you?”

“Ha, ha. What about you Mrs. Hotshot? Things hot enough for you?” he asked from the other side of the curtain.

“We’ll see,” she said as she pulled the curtain back enough to slip into the shower behind him. “Need someone to scrub your back?”

Ulquiorra nodded but he kept his back to her. It was all he needed to see her and pounce. They’d probably end up falling and hurting themselves. “If you wouldn’t mind,” he said handing her the bottle of body wash he had brought with him and the washcloth. “I’ll return the favor.”

She squirted some of the soap onto the cloth and rubbed it in until it lathered, then started up near his hairline. “This stuff smells awesome. Let me know if you have any itchy spots and I’ll give it a good scrub,” she said with a smile in her voice as she moved the washcloth in small circles on his back.

His head dropped and he let out a small groan as she hit a tense spot on his back. Ulquiorra reached out and put his hands against the tub wall and let Orihime do her thing, humming and letting out little sounds to let her know that he appreciated what she was doing.

She kept going, careful not to miss any spots, getting his ass and then kneeling down to get his legs before putting her arms around him to get his front, not stopping until she got under his chin. “Your feet and package you can do yourself, I don’t want to cause a loss of balance,” she said, grabbing a handful of water and using it to rinse a spot on his shoulder so she could kiss it.

Ulquiorra had never, ever, had another person wash him since he’d moved to Ohio when he was young. He’d been independent at an early age. Feeling Orihime’s wet and slippery body against his, moving the way she was, had brought forth an animal inside of him. His green eyes looked down at his cock which was standing at attention, twitching with need. He could wait. “Do you want me to wash your back?” he asked in a tense voice.

“No, another time, though. Why don’t you finish up and leave me to get ready and I’ll meet you out there in a bit?” Orihime was anxious to show him her secret, and she didn’t want it getting spoiled by him getting too excited now. She could hear the tension in his voice.

“I’m going to need a fucking cold shower,” he grumbled and fiddled with the knobs, hissing as the water turned to a cooler temperature. 

“Hey! I won’t take that long, geeze. Just go dry off.” Had he forgotten she was in there, too? “You can stay ready; I will take care of it.”

He had a boyish grin on his face when he turned around to face Orihime. “What? Can’t stand a little cold water?” Ulquiorra asked, taunting her. Orihime scowled at him. “Fine, fine. I’m going and you can make the shower as hot as you’d like.”

She smiled and grabbed another hand towel, not waiting for him to get out before starting to wash herself. After he had left, she quickly rinsed of and got out, toweling off any water that had gotten into her hair. She would be wearing it up tonight. She didn’t need the fruits of her labor sticking in the long strands. She piled it all up on her head in a high ponytail and then pulled out a Bad Habit. It was a short one-piece made entirely of black lace, with a black ribbon belt that criss-crossed around her back and tied around her neck several times like a choker. There was a wide expanse of bare skin from the choker to nearly her navel. It was stunning. She put on some mascara and rosy lipstick and cracked the door open. “You ready for me?”

After he left the bathroom and was dried off, Ulquiorra laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He wasn’t too sure what Orihime had in store and he really didn’t like surprises. Just as long as she didn’t come out of the bathroom brandishing some kind of weird sex toy, he should be fine. “I’ve been ready, Slowpoke.”

She came out and stood in front of the bed, looking him over, and giggled. “You can look, you know.”

“Should I?” He asked, lifting his head. His eyes widened as he took in the small woman’s outfit, rather lack of one. She was standing in front of him like a gift waiting to be unwrapped. “Oh hell,” Ulquiorra breathed.

“No good?” she asked, twisting around to check her butt. Had she put it on crooked?

Ulquiorra sat up on the bed, with his mouth open in shock. “Is this the surprise?” he asked, face turning pink. He had no reason to be blushing. He’d seen her a million times in lingerie, but this was extra special, if this was his surprise.

“This is the surprise. Now, I want you to promise,” she started, taking slow steps toward him, “that no matter how excited or enthusiastic or whatever trigger you feel, you are going to relax and let me do my thing, okay?”

He nodded. “I promise,” Ulquiorra said. He reached out to Orihime, wanting to run his hands down her body; just to feel how she felt in the lace. For some reason he really liked these one piece bad habits. “I promise to be cool about this.”

She smiled and put a knee on the bed, letting him touch her. “Well, I hope you’re not too cool. That would be discouraging to me,” she chuckled a bit, biting her lip and looking down at his dick, then looking back up at him with a blush.

A long slow breath left him as Ulquiorra ran his hands from her thighs up to her chest. His teeth raked over his bottom lip as he stared up at her. “I kind of want to rip this off of you and just have my way with you, but I did just promise to behave, and I already have to replace one pair of panties that I ruined...” Ulquiorra trailed off as he pulled Orihime down for a kiss. 

She hummed into his mouth. He was behaving rather well. He deserved a reward. She kissed him a bit more and then pulled back, turning to let him see the back of the one piece, pulling her hair off her back to give him a good glimpse before getting down on her knees and turning toward him again. “So, I want you to sit up for me, right here on the side of the bed. We might move you back a bit later, but for now, can you do that?” she asked from her position on the floor, hands on her thighs as she looked up at him.

Another nod as he moved into position, his feet hitting the floor. Ulquiorra looked down at Orihime, “What are you going to do?” he asked. He couldn’t take the suspense any more.

“You know what I’m going to do. Well, maybe you don’t. Just hold onto the blanket and try to relax,” she said,putting her hands on his knees and sliding them up his thighs until she reached his cock. With her right hand she let the base of it rest at the junction between her thumb and forefinger, as she let her fingertips comb up through his pubic hair, making sure there was nothing that would get caught before she got down to business. When she was satisfied, those fingers curled around his shaft and gently pulled along its length toward the tip, while her left hand cupped his balls gently. When she was sure he was comfortable and nothing she was doing was hurting him, she crawled a bit closer on her knees, looked up at him again, licked her lips and kissed the tip while continuing to stroke the length.

As soon as Orihime scooted closer to him, Ulquiorra had a death grip on the bedding. When her mouth hit the hot skin of his cock, he let out a whimper. He had promised that he would remain calm for this; that he would behave. He had to let go of all the other times this had happened to him. Orihime was Orihime, and no one else. “Veggs, I love you,” he murmured.

A bloom of affection spread through her chest and arms and she smiled, gave his penis another kiss and then looked up at him and replied, “I love you, Ulquiorra,” before bathing the dome of his cock with her tongue. She used the pink tip to wet the entire surface before using the flat of it to lap along the small slit on top. Orihime continued to stroke him as she did this, then finally, after her tongue started to really feel him heat up, she closed her lips over him.

“Hnnnngh,” came the whine again. He could feel the shivers running up and down his spine as her mouth enclosed over him. It was an intense feeling. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. Before, with Nel, he would tune out or treat the teal-haired woman roughly. This was… There were absolutely no words in Ulquiorra’s vocabulary that could describe how this felt. He could do this. “Fuck,” he murmured as he slowly lifted a hand and gently placed it on her head.

Orihime paused for a moment, keeping him in her mouth but taking a slow, careful breath, just in case he lost it and started a repeat of what had happened the last time she tried this. After she exhaled, she began to move her head up and down, making sure to use her tongue to drag along the underside of his cock, giving special attention around the ridge near the top. She used her right hand to continue to stroke what length she could not reach with her lips, and her left hand began to slowly manipulate his testicles, just barely putting any pressure on them, while the tips of the middle and ring finger of that hand pressed softly on the skin behind them. This was not just a blowjob. This was her worshipping his body; making the most of what skills she had picked up and trying to slowly apply them to him, making love to him with her mouth and hands.

His lungs seemed to stop working. Breath stuttered and his brain threatened to shut down. “Jesus,” he moaned and threw his head back. He couldn’t finish a coherent thought. He knew what he wanted to say, though. 

She continued her slow pace but increased the intensity, adding suction inside her mouth and tension in her lips, and slightly increasing the pressure with her left hand. She wanted to have him nearly broken before she started her homestretch.

“Oh,” he said, feeling how her mouth was wrapped around him. He loved the sensation. The shivers going down his spine were still there. Ulquiorra felt like he could release the fistful of fabric that he had in his hand. He reached down to cup Orihime’s face as she moved. “It’s okay. I’ve got this.”

She didn’t stop as long this time, only pausing a moment before continuing, but looking up at him with those huge, dark eyes of hers, and using them to smile at him as she hummed a bit, increasing her speed. Usually, not that she gave a lot of oral, but usually when she did she focused a lot on technique and reading cues, not so much on emotions. This time was different. She felt so much love and affection while she did this. It was a first for her. She scooted just a bit closer and took him just a bit deeper.

Just the way she was looking up at him was enough for him to want to lose control. On the other hand, he wanted to hold this off for as long as he could, just to get more of it. “Vega, you’re so good at this,” Ulquiorra said, before his head dropped back. He could feel the tension start building in his stomach and thighs. “Won’t be long.”

That’s what she wanted to hear. She ramped up the speed and intensity until she was nearly sucking at his cock like it was a straw, not too hard, but using the muscles of her tongue and throat to create a more sensory-rich experience, while using her left hand to massage the spot behind his testicles and gently squeeze and release them. She could feel him throbbing in her mouth and she could taste the bitter precum he was leaking. This was going to be good.

“Orihime,” he moaned. Ulquiorra could not control himself as his hips started to move and he began to chant her name like it was a sacred incantation. “Fuck, Orihime.” The words were loud enough for the neighbors to hear at least. The pulse that ran down his body caused his arms and legs to twitch as he started to come in the redhead’s mouth.

She almost lost him. She could feel that he almost went to that other place, but she had managed to get him to finish in time. He filled her mouth and she swallowed once before allowing the rest to pool inside of it and dribble out of the corners of her lips. She kept moving, at a much slower pace, until she felt the rigidness begin to wane. It didn’t take long at all. When it was over, she carefully slid him out of her mouth and set him down, holding her mouth slightly open and letting his cum stretch out in shining silver ropes from her lips down to where a small pool was forming on her breasts.

His breathing was still erratic as he came down from that sexual high. Ulquiorra fell back onto the bed, totally devastated by that activity. He could feel how rapidly his heart was beating and how his body was still trembling. “What did you do?”

Orihime reached for several tissues on the bedside table and cleaned her face off, discreetly depositing what was left in her mouth into it before balling it up and putting it in the wastebasket. While she was dabbing off her neck and body, she answered, “I went down on you. You told me you used to do this all the time; well not exactly like this. I’d high-five you for keeping it together, but you almost didn’t make it to the finish line in time and you look kinda… tired.” She giggled a bit,and when she felt clean, she came to sit on the bed beside him, looking down at his flushed face and smiling while moving some hair out of his face. “How do you feel?”

How could he explain that Nel going down on him never felt like that? How could he convey that it was never that pleasurable and always felt like a chore? “That was intense. That was soul shattering. It was--I can’t even tell you how it felt. I just know that I want it to happen again and pray that it doesn’t kill me. As for how I feel?” Ulquiorra shook his head and put an arm over his eyes. He couldn’t say anything without emotion clouding his voice.

Orihime saw his brow tighten before he covered his eyes, and it made her worry. “Are you alright? Ulquiorra, please don’t shut me out,” she said, her hand on his chest near his shoulder and her own lips starting to pout. It would be just her luck that they would do this and he would love it only to realize that he agreed with the rumor-mongers and thought she was a slut for doing it. She had only done it because she loved him and she wanted to show him that she did.

“I’m okay. Just getting caught up in what I’m feeling,” he said, a tad calmer. Ulquiorra lifted his arm after a moment and looked at her. “Thank you, Orihime, for doing that. I--I love you. With you, doing anything sexual it isn’t a pain in the ass. I want to do it. With--you know--” he waved a hand as if that would indicate who he was talking about. “With her my mind was elsewhere. I was solely focused on you.”

She smiled tentatively. “That’s a good thing, right?” She didn’t expect him to be super articulate at the moment, but he seemed only able to express incomplete thoughts.

Shaking his head again, he finally sat up and kissed Orihime. “My brain is a mess, Woman. I enjoyed it. I liked it. How about you? Everything live up to your expectations?”

“Um, you come a lot,” she said, and chuckled. She let her own words echo around her head and she thought they were silly, so she laughed a little harder. Then, grinning at him, she said, “I rather enjoyed your reactions, though. That was gratifying.”

Ulquiorra chuckled with her and at her statement. “Yeah I guess I do,” he said with a grin. “You know, I’m out of commission for tonight. There’s nothing left. I just want to cuddle up next to you and sleep.”

Orihime rolled her eyes. “Okay, Grandpa,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m going to go clean up, so I’ll say goodnight before then because I kind of expect you to be sleeping by the time I come back.”

“Just wait, I might attack you in the middle of the night,” he said before giving her a kiss.

She gave him a hug too and snuck off to the bathroom. She let the shower get warm and she took off the bad habit. Her mind drifted off to Nemu. What the hell had she been doing in their room? Why the camera? What, had she been trying to prove that Orihime was staying there? So what? Anyone with half a brain would have been able to figure it out without photographic evidence. The more she thought about it, the more worrisome it felt. She sighed and tried pushing it from her mind as she stepped into the hot water.

She got herself off in the shower and cleaned up, then toweled off, brushed her teeth, and put on a more modest nighty; one without lace and ribbons and actually covered her ass. When she came back into the bedroom, as expected, Ulquiorra was asleep. She climbed in under the covers beside him and closed her eyes. Sleep didn’t come easily.


	5. Skeletons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: traumatic childhood memories

Orihime didn’t see much of Ulquiorra on Tuesday. He had been busy and she had had another show with Shuhei and Peach Cobbler. It had been at a bigger venue during the day and it went well.  She had been recognized by some people after the show and signed a few autographs. It still seemed funny to her.

The next day she didn’t see Ulquiorra at all, apart from a kiss goodbye in the morning. She went out to lunch with Momo and did  some  window shopping with her.  Apparently  things between her and Shu were deteriorating. Momo was about to throw in the towel. Orihime smiled  sympathetically  and nodded, but  mostly  felt awkward and was glad when she left. She was just getting back to the hotel when she got the text from Kisuke.

  * Hello, my sweet princess! How do you feel about french? I can pick you up at around seven. Where are you staying?



Orihime had a chuckle at the nickname; Kisuke had always addressed his birthday cards to her with that name when she was younger. She responded,

  * Hello dear uncle, French is Fabulous. How should I dress? I’m at the Hyatt on 3rd.



A reply came a minute later.

  * Nothing too fancy. Something like you wore the other night is fine.



Orihime smiled and got to her floor, then let herself in. “Oh,” she said, surprised to find the room occupied.

Both of the men  who were  sitting at that small table looked up when Orihime entered. Ulquiorra had the decency to look guilty when Komamura turned a stern gaze on him. “I knew she was staying here. Whatever; if it keeps you focused and we don’t have three more months of space cadet Ulquiorra,” the band manager said. “Now, the event you’re playing on Thursday night, you need to  be prepared for this. We’re looking at somewhere around five hundred people attending the concert. Maybe more.”

Ulquiorra nodded. “I got it. I need to be captivating. Do we have a song or a set list?” He nodded when the guy produced a sheet of paper. Green eyes  quickly  scanned the words on page. “Wait, you ’re going to have me close this thing out with Hallelujah?”

Orihime raised an eyebrow. It seemed a strange choice to her, too.  Generally bands closed shows with something more upbeat. It wasn’t her place to say anything though, and she  quietly  slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door open though to listen.

“Ulq, do you know how many views that song has gotten on Youtube? No? A lot. We’re looking at millions of views. People love it. They love you singing it,” Koma answered.

“It’s not even my song! Why can’t I do one of the ones from the album? Why can’t I do--”

“You made it your own.”

Orihime smiled to herself in the mirror at Koma’s comment. She couldn’t agree more. She stepped out and pretended to busy herself on her phone, taking a seat at the desk on the far side of the room, but not before throwing a glance in Ulquiorra’s direction long enough for him to see it, smiling and nodding, tipping her head in Koma’s direction to  indicate that she agreed with the manager’s assessment.

He frowned at the redhead and then turned back to the band manager. “I think we should close out the show with something else, but if you think I should do that, I can.”

Koma nodded. “I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t forget to be down at my room at six. You’ve got that bar to play tonight,” he said as he got up and left, closing the door behind him.

Orihime watched the man leave and then looked back over at Ulquiorra. “Well, I’m not sure putting it at the end of your set is a  good or bad idea, but I agree that you have made that song your own. Leonard Cohen may have written it, but Jeff Buckley owns his version, and you own your version. Nobody would disagree.”

Ulquiorra sighed. “Orihime, I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to go back to being a nobody on the internet. I want to go back to the early days of me and you—like back in September—all I wanted to do was sing for Vega; for you.”

She smiled at him. “Then quit. I mean, if this isn’t what you want -if it doesn’t make you happy- then don’t do it. But if you’re not sure, give it a day or so . Think it over.”

“We still have a lot to wade through as a couple. I still don’t know a lot about you, but it seems like you don’t want to bring it up because your past deals with your aunt. I don’t—I’m not sure what I’m trying to say but,” he paused for a moment. Today seemed to be  physically  and  emotionally  taxing for him. He felt out of sorts with everything. “Are you coming with me to the bar tonight?”

“I’m not, I’ve got that meeting with Kisuke, remember? As for us and my past… It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. It’s that since we met in September, it’ s kind of been the Ulquiorra show. There was always some kind of issue to deal with on your end. There hasn’t been a lot of opportunity, and honestly , there hasn’t been a lot of interest on your end, for me to open up . I’m not saying this because I’ m upset or whatever, I mean, you had legitimate issues. But everytime I would try to open up , either something else got in the way, or the timing was off, or we broke up.” She stopped and  starting  walking the length of the room. “We  do  have a lot to work through. There is a lot you don’t know. I feel like I know a lot more about you than you know about me. Much, much more,” she laughed, thinking about all the time she spent at his dad’s house, the things Nel said, the admissions he’d made, the journals, and stories from his friends in his hometown. He still didn’t know her middle name.

“That happens when you stay at someone’s house. I’m sure my dad shared all of the embarrassing stories and pictures.” Ulquiorra got quiet. He didn’t want to bring up the other things. “I’m restless today. There is a lot on the table  that  I don’t want to deal with. I  just  want it to be me and you, but Koma says there is no way Espada will add you to my band.”

She narrowed her eyes, but not harshly . She was trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. “Your dad didn’t talk  to me  about you at all unless I asked specifically . He didn’t want to upset me. As for Koma and Espada… You knew that before you signed. That’s what you wanted at the time .”

Oh. His dad was still the same old vault of memories that  was kept locked tight. In some ways the son was like the father. Ulquiorra was very interested in Orihime but he didn’t want to pry. Jon was like that. Maybe he needed to show Orihime how far he had come. “Hey, I am interested in you, but I don’t like to ask questions. You know this. Whatever information you offered about yourself I’ve  retained . I’m always curious and wondering about you, Orihime. Like, I want to know what drew you to singing and what your favorite color is. Do you wear jewelry, or is it  just  for gigs? Did you have any siblings?”

A bittersweet smirk appeared on her face. He  really didn’t know anything . “I sing because I liked it from a young age. My aunt pushed me to do it her way, but I still do it for me. I love music.  It takes me far away from the things that hurt me, but it can also take me right back to the worst hurts if I want it to.  It ’s powerful.  It ’s the closest thing to magic  that  I think exists. My favorite color is white. I have  never received any jewelry and feel  that  it is not something that one buys for herself unless it’s part of a costume. I  don’t have any siblings.”

“Is there anything you want me to know about you? Is there something you want to know about me? I mean, we have the rest of our lives to get to know one another, but some basic things  are good .”

She sighed heavily . “There is a lot I want you to know about me. There are  some  things you  _ need _ to know about me. They are  not easy for me to talk about though.” She paused and swallowed hard. Now was  probably  not a good time, either. “I don’t know if you remember, but I tried telling you a few times when we  were going to visit your dad for the first time… I never  was able to tell you everything, though.”

He  did remember . She had said  that  she wasn’t a good person and it had always made Ulquiorra curious about what she had meant. How was Orihime not a good person? She had a heart of gold and was  full of love. “If it’s hard for you to talk about I don’t want to upset you. You need to be on your game tonight with this meeting.”

Her shoulders dropped. He was right. But once again, she had to be silent. It ate away at her. “Okay. Another time , then ,” she  said softly , looking at the desk. “Occhi Verdi means green eyes,” she uttered, somewhat distracted. That was also something she had tried to tell him  on several occasions , but when she broached the subject, he had always changed it. She wanted to at least clean one slate.

“What? What do you mean Occhi Verdi means green eyes?”

“I mean it  literally  means green eyes. Occhi is eyes in Italian. Verdi is green in Italian. Jon named the shop after you because you are his entire world and I have been trying to tell you that for months and  finally  I did it. Pfew!” she said as  quickly  as she could and then leaned a hand on the desk, feeling like she did her good deed for the day.

“I’m my dad’s entire world?” Ulquiorra’s eyes darted from Orihime’s face to the floor and then anywhere but her. Jon had named the coffee shop after him? He was the only one with green eyes except for his grandmother! His dad had hazelish eyes. His mother had blue eyes. Ulquiorra was the only one! “Fuck. I need to call and talk to him one of these days.”

Orihime nodded and went to the closet. She had taken  some  time over the past two days to unpack her things into the closet and dresser in Ulquiorra’s room. “You should. He misses you. I don’t know why he clings to Steve, but before I had to leave your house, I said something to your dad about how he shouldn’t feel bad about turning me out because he had to follow his heart. He told me  _ you _ were his heart. Not Steve. Then he drank almost an entire bottle of cabernet.”

Ulquiorra stood and walked over to where Orihime was, hugged her from behind, and buried his face into her neck. “Tonight can we talk about you? I want to hear whatever you want to tell me. I will listen to every word.”

She nodded once. “If it’s not too late and you’re not too tired.”

“I’m never too tired for you. We need to talk about this. Sleep can wait. You and I need this. We need to discuss this.”

She sighed. “We do, but it’s not the  kind of  conversation you want to have when you are tired or  emotionally  spent. It’s, um… Well, for me, anyway, it can be upsetting.”

Ulquiorra  slowly  turned her around to face him. “I’m here for you Orihime. If it upsets you, I will hold you and comfort you,” he said. “That’s what lovers do.”

A pained expression flittered across her face for a moment. “I’ m afraid it will upset you, too.”

That made his eyebrows shoot up. What could she have to tell him that was so upsetting? “We won’t know unless we communicate, right?”

“Right.”

***

Ulquiorra kissed Orihime before he left for his gig. He walked to the floor below his and found Koma’s room. Aaron and Ggio were already inside, laughing. It looked like Aaron had  started drinking already. “Go slow tonight,” Ulquiorra told the drummer as he picked up a beer bottle.

Koma came to the guy’s rescue. “Ulquiorra, calm down. Aaron’s getting into his headspace. You should do the same.”

That was great advice, but his focus was  currently  getting ready to have dinner with someone from a competing label. What if this Urahara guy  basically  told Orihime to drop him or  that  he was deadweight? He would deserve it, but still… Ulquiorra knew he would chase after Orihime. “Are we ready for this gig?”

***

“So,  you see,  Orihime, I had  initially  hoped to sign both you and Mr. Hisagi. However, circumstances being what they are, given your relationships with him and Mr. Cifer, and given  that  you are my goddaughter, I think a different, how should I say, set of  _ privileges _ can  be afforded to you.”

Orihime took a sip of her overpriced glass of sparkling water after swallowing an overpriced bite of deviled egg. “What are you talking about, Uncle Kisuke?”

“I mean, you are a young woman of connections and many talents. You are a  classically  trained soprano. We have a classical music division. You are a jazz singer and a pop singer and a rock singer. You  are quite accomplished . I’ve looked up your aliases. You’ve been performing nonstop for the past two years. That’s not including your classical recitals. I’ve watched your YouTube videos.  All of them , including your Vega IV show. You’ve got what it takes. Now it’s just a matter of deciding what you want to do. I hope you don’t mind, but I  took the liberty of contacting your aunt.”

Orihime  nearly  choked on a leaf of arugula. “You spoke with Claire?”

“Yes. I’m sorry to tell you  that  she was not  exactly  forthcoming, but she told me  that you were cut off and more or less blamed your genetics. I’m sorry, Orihime. She is an awful woman. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to protect you from her.”

Orihime rolled her eyes and took another bite. After she chewed and swallowed, she replied, “Well, the old bird has always had it out for me. At least I don’t have to pretend to please her anymore. So you know I have no money, then?”

“Yes. I understand that you are ineligible for financial aid because of the trust your parents left you, so it’s not  financially  reasonable for you to continue your education at this time .”

Orihime nodded. “Yeah, I was working as a barista for  a bit  and then  started recording with Shu. What’s this all got to do with signing with Soul Society?”

“It doesn’t, exactly . Orihime, I’d like to offer you a chance to get to know the industry behind the scenes; an opportunity to feel it out and see where you best fit before you get siphoned through a production machine. I feel responsible for letting that hag get you into a position where you  were subjected to working with Sousuke Aizen. I understand you’ve joined a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment?”

Orihime’s cheeks colored as she nodded silently .

“I knew of Aizen’s reputation. So did your aunt.  You should have never been put into that position.  I should have been more involved in your life.  I plan to be there for you going forward.  I want you to come to LA and stay with me and my partner, Yoruichi. We have a pool house you could live in until you figure out what you want to do and we can take our time setting you up with the company.  Would you please consider it?”

Orihime was honestly shocked at the generosity of the offer, and before she knew it, her eyes were watering and she needed to use her napkin to stop her makeup from running. “It’s too much, Uncle Kisuke. I--”

“No, no, it’s not enough. Orihime, Kenta was my best friend.  I loved your mother like a sister.  I owe it to them.  I owe it to you. Please think about it. I’d like to have your answer by the end of the festival.”

Orihime nodded. “I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

***

Once again, Aaron had gotten  really  drunk and they had to leave the bar earlier than planned. Ulquiorra frowned as the man dozed in and out of consciousness. “Koma, this is becoming a problem,” he told the manager once they reached the hotel. “This is twice--”

“Ulq, don’t worry about it. I’ve got my eye on Aaron. He’s a good guy. Seen  some  shit and experienced  some  stuff. It’s all right. I’ve got this under control. Aaron told me he  was going to party a little this week. I gave him the green light. Go to your lady. I’ll take care of him.”

He wanted to protest, telling his manager that OIV wasn’t just attached to him anymore but the three of them, but Ulquiorra turned and  started walking away. No. He couldn’t just stand there and let his band members get shit-faced when his fucking name was on the line. He whirled around and stalked back to the older man. “No, Koma. Obscuras IV isn’t a group thing! It’s mine. That’s my name. I can’t have them embarrassing me! Let them know if this continues they can and will  be replaced . I can bring in some brilliant people to play different instruments.”

While Koma was struggling to find words, Ulquiorra went into the hotel and used the elevator to go up to his room. He dug the keycard out of his pocket, entering the room. He hoped Orihime was there. “Hey?” he called out as he walked into the space.

“Hey,” came the softspoken reply. Orihime had been sitting in an armchair near the window, looking out over what she could see of Austin, deep in thought. She turned her head  slowly  to face Ulquiorra. “How was the show?”

He stopped when he saw her. Something was going on. “Aaron got drunk again so we had to leave early before he started any fights. How--how did  the meeting with Urahara go?”

“He made me an offer. It’s very generous. I need to think about it.  On the other hand it feels stupid to act like I need to think about it. Still, I need to think about it. I need to talk to you about it. It’s not a record deal. At least, not yet.”

A heavy sigh left Ulquiorra as he took his shoes off and then sat on the end of the bed. “What is it? Lay it out there. They want you to drop me? They want you to--What? You look like--I don’t even know… conflicted?”

“ He ’s offering for me to live at his and his, I guess, girlfriend or life partner lady’s pool house in LA and take  some  time to figure out what I want to focus on before I get “siphoned through a production machine”,” she explained, using air quotes. “ He said he’s not interested in Shuhei as part of an act with me anymore.  He likes my connection to you.  He hates my aunt, although he admits my connection to her name could open  some  doors for me.  He knows about the Aizen lawsuit.  He ’s worked with him before.  He said he feels responsible because he knew of Aizen’s reputation.  He thinks he should have been more involved in my upbringing.  He confirmed that my aunt knew all about Aizen’s reputation as well , and put me in his studio regardless,” her nostrils were flaring as her right hand fisted. “She always…” she stopped and sighed. They weren’t talking about Claire. They were talking about Kisuke. “Anyway, he wants to make sure I get started on the right foot in the industry, if that’s even what I want to do. It  just  seems too generous.”

“Didn’t you tell me to be cautious? I’m not saying you shouldn’t take the opportunity, but you should  be wary of the people you’re around,” Ulquiorra said. Relief had taken root in his brain. “I wish I had someone that would show me the ropes before I  just  got plunked into this tank.” 

A half-smile tugged at the left corner of her mouth. “Yeah. He said  that  I could shadow him and Yoruichi once in awhile and that for cash I could do studio back-up vocals; said it would be a great chance to get  some  experience in the studio and see how people work and how I like the grind. I know I love rehearsals and performing, but this is a side of it  that  I don’t know.”

Ulquiorra stood up and walked over to Orihime. He knelt down in front of her and took her hand. “You’d be closer to me . The grind doesn’t bother me. It’s the partying and the way these people think others are expendable,” he said. “I mean… I know we talked about it and you don’t want to live with me.”

Orihime squeezed his hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… Your dad once told me about the “ballad of Ulquiorra and Nel”, and warned me  that  he didn’t want us to become “the tragic tale of Ulquiorra and Orihime”. I don’t want us to be that, either.”

He closed his eyes and laid his head against her lap. “ I don’t want us to become that either.  I ’ve not spoken to Nel in months.  I want to talk to you everyday.  I want to kiss you.  I want to see your smiling face.  I don’t want there to be this emotional divide between us. Without you...” Ulquiorra sighed. He wouldn’t think about it. “I  do  want you out in California though. If you’re out there we can at least hang out.”

She put her free hand through his hair. “You talk like we wouldn’t be us anymore.  We ’d still be us.  We ’d just have to put in  a bit of  effort, I think.  We ’d have  some  space to work out our kinks without taking it out on each other? That’s my hope, anyway.”

“Orihime, things changed between us,” he said. “We went from online buddies to lovers in the space of a week, maybe  a couple of weeks. Things changed. We didn’t  have a chance to  get used to it. We could have destroyed each other with what happened and we almost did.” Ulquiorra  finally  looked up at her. “If you  do  come out to Cali, we take it one day at a time. I  just  wish...”

Orihime’s brow creased. “You wish what?”

He sighed. “I  just  wish  that  you were coming out there for me and not some promise of a career. It’ s selfish of me to think  that  but… I’m a selfish person.”

She couldn’t disagree with him. He’d proven that to be true over and over again. “I can perform anywhere. I told you that at your dad’s house. Fame isn’t what I’m after. I  just  want to sing in front of people. I’m not in it for a record contract and a lavish lifestyle and recognition and bitches and bottles of Bacardi,” she laughed a bit . “California is as a nice place as anywhere to sing, I guess. But it wouldn’t be as interesting  to me  if you weren’t there.”

Stretching his neck, he pecked her on the lips. “Then sing. If I can, I want to perform with you,” Ulquiorra told her.

She smiled and nodded. It was more or less decided, she supposed. “Are you tired?”

“Kind of, but not really ? I’m  mentally  fed up with this whole festival, but I promised you  that  we  were going to talk,” he replied. “That is if you’re up to it.”

She bit her lip. She didn’t want to have this conversation when he was not into it. “I ’m never going to be up to it,” she admitted. “If you want to get to know my quirks or stats, that’s an easy thing to talk about and fall asleep on. The rest… not so much. I need to know where to draw the line.”

Ulquiorra pulled back and gave her a confused stare. “Why would we need a line?”

“Because,” she was getting a little frustrated. “There are  some  things that have happened to me ; some things I have done… They aren’t pleasant. If you are not up to talking about things that will upset you, then I don’t want to do it.”

“Do we need a line? Orihime, it doesn’t matter if it upsets me. This is about you. You know about my past now. If you’ve heard about me and Nelliel then you know about the unpleasant stuff. If you read my journals… I don’t want  _ you _ to get upset.”

“I have to live with it. I’ll  be upset to talk about it, but it’s nothing new for me. You’ll be the first person besides Claire… and a school counselor and social worker, that I’ve told, though.” She was stalling a bit . She wanted to give him ample opportunity to back out, and she needed to ramp up her courage.

Ulquiorra stood and pulled Orihime out of the chair, leading her over to the bed. “Sit and get comfy. I’ll grab us some bottles of water and tissues, okay? If you want to talk about it, we can, or we can wait until you’re in Los Angeles. We can use tonight to get to know each other through other stuff.”

She sighed. He didn’t seem to want to hear about it, but he kind of did. “We have to talk about it before I go to LA. It won’t do any good for me to move out there and then tell you and have you decide that you don’t feel the same way anymore after you know. It has to be here.” She sat and waited for him.

He did as he said he  was going to do and got them both a bottle of water and then he found a box of unopened tissues. Ulquiorra brought it all back to the bed and then sat down. He situated himself across from Orihime and waited. “I’m listening then,” he said.

Orihime closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to organize her thoughts  in a way that would allow her to get the most truth out in the fewest amount of words, but still have it tie back to what he already knew about her. She  decided to start there. “You know how you were  really angry that I  was able to tell off Ishida for touching me but not Aizen? There is a reason for that. And not just the one about my college funds getting cut off.” She opened her eyes and looked at him to see if he had any reaction yet.

“Okay, what’s the reason?” Ulquiorra asked. “It’s not like  you were trained to take abuse from older men but fend off guys your own age.”

Her face fell. He  wasn’t going to believe her. Just like everyone else. She blew out her breath. If he didn’t believe her, it  really  didn’t matter. She would just put it all out there, then. “Okay.  I was molested for a couple years. My aunt knew. She blamed me. She thought because I  didn’t say anything, it meant I wanted it.  I was about seven or eight when it started.  I still freeze up when someone who reminds me of him touches me.  I know you don’t believe me, but that’s what it is,” she blurted out then looked at her hands and bit the inside of her cheeks.

Ulquiorra felt like an asshole. He felt like a piece of shit. “No, I believe you. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”  Suddenly  looking back on  the incident with Aizen brought things into better focus about how wrong he had been in just leaving and making it all about himself. “I’m so sorry for leaving you after your concert. I’m sorry I assumed the wrong things.” 

Orihime had a lump in her throat but otherwise held it together. “The thing was, I thought I was doing the right thing. He kept praising me. He told me I was special and pretty and such a good girl not to tell mean old Claire. Sometimes it made me happy. Sometimes I went along with it for reasons other than fear. I told you, I’m not that good of a person,” she closed her eyes and took another deep breath. “It wasn’t until we had those “your body is changing” talks in school  that  I asked a teacher if it was okay to  be touched that way by a grown up. Then the counselors and the social worker got involved.  The police were called . My aunt told them I was making it all up. She liked the guy. She was angry that I would open my whore mouth and get him into trouble. He wasn’t the last, either. I think I mentioned that another one died before too much happened,” her mouth was just on autopilot now as she laid out one confession after another. “You once said I got into OSU on my  own  merit, and that  the rumors about me must be based on jealousy or whatever. I don’t think that’s true. Claire would  always  advertise my “experience” to potential mentors. She told them  that  I was precocious. Curious. Willing. She told Aizen the same thing. I heard her on the phone. He  probably  bragged about it. They always do when they think they’re untouchable.” Her voice was bitter with betrayal as she described her aunt.

Orihime seemed to get lost in her thoughts after that, as her vision went inward, memories of that first man making her feel like a little girl again.  She was disgusted with the memory of herself. “I should have known better.”

“Orihime, listen to me . You are a good person. However, your aunt and those people she affiliated herself with are not good people. Forget about them and the past. That happening does not define you. Didn’t you tell me that once? That things that happened in the past didn’t define me? Look to the future,” Ulquiorra didn’t want her to go down a dark road, but he didn’t know how to help her. “Your aunt is not a good person, and if I ever meet her again I will tell her how I feel about her.  I apologize for leaving you that night.  I am sorry for being a selfish prick.  I guess-- I might have known this about you had we  just  taken things slow instead of me sticking my dick in you.  I ’m sorry.”

Orihime pursed her lips and shook her head. “You may have, you may not have. I don’t know.” She felt like there was something else she needed to say but it was eluding her. That’s right. “Oh, yeah, you asked me why I didn’t always  like giving head. It wasn’t Mr. Brazil. We didn’t work out, yeah, but he  was kind to me when we were together .”

And he hadn’t helped with matters when she attempted it the first time. How could Orihime even forgive him for being the asshole  that  he was? “We don’t have to do it ever again.  I ’m an ass, Orihime.  I still love you.  I think you’re good. You’re the exact opposite of what your aunt says.”

Orihime took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. She hadn’t cried. That  was good . She felt like she might throw up, but she hadn’t cried. “I hope that’s true. Sometimes I don’t know.”

He held his hand out to her before just pulling her into his lap. He hugged her tightly . “You are.  I wouldn’t have fallen in love with you if you weren’t.  I wouldn’t have been holding onto  the idea of  us so  tightly  if you weren’t.  I know you in certain ways. You have a good heart. Just promise me one thing,” Ulquiorra said to her.

Now the tears came. The release of letting go of hiding this part of herself from him was  starting to settle on her. She couldn’t speak except to suck down short breaths and nod.

“You need to tell me if we do something that makes you uncomfortable. If giving me head makes you uncomfortable, then don’t do it. But if it wasn’t Mr. Brazil… Was it your mentors?”

“Just that first one,” she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her tighter and held her. “I’m sorry that happened to you Veggs. I’m sorry that you had to grow up around someone like Claire. You’re free from her now. You can do anything you want.” Ulquiorra kissed the side of her head. “I ’m going to be by your side for it.”

It seemed  a bit  bold of a declaration. He’d been making those all week. “Ulquiorra, what did you mean before?”

“When? What did I mean before when?” He asked pulling back from her. He wasn’t  quite  sure what she was asking. The question had an ominous tone to it.

“You said there was an emotional divide between us. Then you  started to say something like, if you were without me, but then you stopped. What did you mean?”

“ I don’t want what happened between Nelliel and I to happen to us.  I don’t want us to drift apart.  I don’t want to ever resent you for being in my life and getting close to me ,” he said in a soft voice.

She still didn’t  really  get what he meant. He’d always told her that his relationship with Nel  was very different than his relationship with her, so this sentiment didn’t quite resonate with her the way it seemed to for him. “Well, I don’t want to resent you either,” she said after a pause. She  decided to address something else before he  completely  steered to conversation back to himself again. “Anyway, you said you don’t like to ask questions. I’m used to not having anyone to talk to, much less anyone  who is  interested in me apart from the ways I can benefit them. If you don’t ask questions, I ’m going to think you don’t care or aren’t interested.”

Ulquiorra frowned. “I don’t know what to ask. Like that assignment we did for that one class with those stupid questions, remember? Do I come up with questions like that? This is still somewhat new  to me,  Orihime; having a relationship and being attached to someone. Nel just spewed information at me, so I didn’t have to ask.” He sighed, wondering if this was how it  was always going to be.

She shrugged. “ I guess if you  don’t have any questions you  don’t have any questions.  I don’t know what you’re interested in  when it comes to me or to us.  I mean, If I  am curious I  just  ask, I guess.” Her nostrils flared a bit . It stung that he didn’t seem curious about her. He said he was, but when it came down to it, he only seemed interested in things that concerned himself. At least those were the things he  took the initiative to ask about. “If you ever think of something, just ask. Don’t worry about it.” She sighed then, feeling a burning sensation behind her eyes. There was a building tension growing in her body; the stress of her confession was bad enough, but this discomfort on top of it was making her feel anxious. She looked at the door, wondering if a walk around the halls would help.

No. This wouldn't do. He was interested in her and them, but he  just  didn't know what to ask. He furrowed his brow as he thought of something to ask her. "Is there any part of your past or your childhood  that  you remember fondly ? Like good memories?" Ulquiorra asked. He saw her gaze drift to the door and there was no way he  was going to let her leave.

Her mouth twisted to the side. “When I  was praised . When I got a  pretty  dress… When I went on a field trip for school and got to see a forest for the first time. I  wasn’t allowed to go to birthday parties or sleepovers or anything when I was younger, and you know how warm and fuzzy Claire is… The only friend I had when I was younger was the sister of a babysitter of mine and things between us became confusing and weird… I  really  didn’t have a lot of good memories until I got into high school and  was able to flex my independence  a bit  more.”

“Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a kid? Or a blanket? Or something  that  you would never give up?” Ulquiorra bit his lip thinking of the bat plushie that  was stuck in a box somewhere in the attic of his dad’s house. These were things he wanted to know about her and it seemed so silly.

“I have a set of hairpins.  They ’re a kind of a light aqua-blue and  they are shaped like flowers.  They look kidsy and cheap but I am  really  attached to them.  They were a gift from Kisuke, actually ,” she smiled  fondly  as she recalled finding the pins tucked into a birthday card. “I have them here, do you want to see them?” she offered, expecting him to laugh and refuse.

“Yes,” Ulquiorra said, nodding his head. “Sometimes we grow attached to the silliest things but if they mean a lot to you… I want to see them.”

A goofy half-smile broke her thoughtful facade and her cheeks colored. “Okay,” she murmured, getting up and walking over to the dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a small bag, taking out two small silver-colored hairpins. They  really  were cheap-looking. They had come from a ubiquitous mall chain store aimed at pre-teens that sold ear piercings, cheap jewelry, and accessories accented with hot-pink feathers. The blue part of the pins was just enamel poured into a depression on each petal. They had  probably  cost less than two dollars. They were priceless to her, though. She held them out to Ulquiorra. “Here they are,” she said, kind of embarrassed.

He picked one up and held it up, examining it in the hotel’s rather poor lighting. Ulquiorra’s eyes went to her face and then back to the hairpin. Sure, these  probably  came a dime a dozen.  They were loved though . “I bet you were a cute kid with these in your hair.”

She blushed again and shook her head. “Fat kid, remember?”

“Shhhh, no insulting yourself,” Ulquiorra said handing the hairpin back to her. “Where do you see yourself or us in a year? Five years?” Since she had opened the box, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.

The blush on her face deepened, and she turned back to the dresser to return the hairpins to their home. “You mean, like, what I imagine in a general sense?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “Is there another sense?”

She chuckled, “Well, some people are planners. Like, they know  exactly  what they  are going to be doing next March fifteenth. I’m not that kind of person. I mean, in a year? It’s hard to say because so much has happened in this week to kind of turn that vision on its head. I guess in California, maybe apartment hunting? I hope I’m not still camping out at Kisuke’s after a year,” she answered, then chewed on the remaining words, making them difficult to hear, “and I hope you are not living at your mom’s then…” 

Oh. Well then. “I like my mom’s beach house. It has a studio and a pool and it’s a prime piece of property. The only thing I don’t hate is the drive. I wish I lived closer to everything,” Ulquiorra said. “I liked the views of Malibu. The beach house sometimes has me feeling agoraphobic.”

She turned around to look at him then. He had misunderstood. “I mean, it sounds great, but it’s not  _ yours. _ I don’t know how established you’ll be in a year, and I don’t know if I’ll be making caramel macchiatos or singing in a year, so maybe it’s premature to say that. But in five years, I see us having... our own place?”

“Oh, yeah,  probably,  but for now… Living rent-free  is pretty sweet ,” he said with a quick grin. “You still see us together in five years. That’s good.”

“Do you?”

“ Of course, who else would I see myself with?”

She felt kind of silly, and very embarrassed and exposed, so her reply was  somewhat  ridiculous. “I don’t know, some tall Russian named Natasha with blonde hair and long legs and connections to arms dealers? Sounds more exciting than me.”

“That description sounds like my mother. No thanks,” he said with a laugh. “I have other questions to ask you but they seem stupid. They seem… lame.”

“Nope, no, I insist you ask every lame question you think of,” she  said quickly , eager to deflect the shame from herself.

“Okay, um, which would you rather have, wealth and be  miserable or poor and happy?”

“Poor and happy. Easy. You?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “I’m asking questions about you. We are not talking about me. I don’t  like talking about me. Um, any irrational fears or phobias?”

“Um… just Aizen lookalikes.  And Michael Jackson.  And clowns.  And china dolls.”

He tried hard not to smirk at her last three answers. “One of these days you’re going to have to explain that.”

“They’re just creepy…” she said through a wide, teeth-baring fake smile. 

“What did--” Ulquiorra  started to say but then stopped. He wasn’t sure how she would answer the question that had been burning in his mind.

“What? Ask, please.”

“When I called you at  the beginning of this month, what did you think?”

“You mean the call when you asked me to tell you  that  I love you?”

Ulquiorra nodded.

“I thought, thank god,” she admitted, exhaling for emphasis. “It didn’t matter  that  I kept telling your dad or Steve or Renji or Shu. I told them I loved you all the time, but it  didn’t help me. I needed to tell  _ you _ . After that I felt like I could  finally  breathe.”

His eyes felt like they were burning as Ulquiorra tipped his head back and blinked rapidly . He didn’t want to cry, but her words evoked emotions in him. When he felt like he could speak, he said, “I had to know. I had to hear those words from you.”

It was her turn to  be curious . “Didn’t you know? I always told you before. Did you think my feelings for you were shallow?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “No, I never thought that . Once in a while I need affirmation  that  you  do feel like that. I needed reassurance  that  I wasn’t chasing after an empty idea. What do you appreciate most about me?”

She grinned. It sounded like a conceited question, but she knew that it wasn’t. “Most? That’s hard. I appreciate…” She was struggling with this one. “I think your vulnerability. You  are brave enough to expose it, on stage and in your personal life. Most people aren’t.”

“I appreciate your honesty. I like how you are open enough to call me out on bullshit.”

She chuckled. “Well, I apologize for when I am too blunt, but I’m glad you appreciate it.”

He reached out to her and pulled Orihime close. “I can’t think of anymore lame questions. I know there’s stuff I want to know about you. It’s been a rather odd day and all I want to do is hold you and tell you  that  I love you.”

Orihime nodded and allowed  herself to be pulled into him. “I love you too, Ernie.”

***

The Obscuras IV concert was a success. Koma’s estimate of people was lowball figure. There were around one thousand bodies in the park that night. Ulquiorra was a completely different person as he performed on stage. He could feel the crowd’s energy and he fed off of it. He was charming behind the mic. He engaged with the audience. He kept looking to the front row, where Orihime stood. 

Two hours later when it was all finished, Koma congratulated him on a job well done. He said he was proud of the group. Ulquiorra was proud of himself too, but he didn’t care about his manager’s praise. He wanted to hear what Orihime had to say. 

He was hindered by his mother and Gin. They both told him  that  they expected big things from OIV. Twenty minutes later, he  finally  found the redhead.

“Wow! Look at you! My big successful rockstar!” she cheered as she cut through a group of people and launched herself at him. “That was amazing!”

“Hey! Oof,” he grunted as he caught her, his arms tightening around her. “Thank you. I just did what you said to do. I was charming. I felt the crowd out. I tried to keep it all upbeat.”

She kissed his cheeks and then his lips and smiled at him. “I knew you could do it. You made it look easy.”

Ulquiorra grinned at her. It was amazing how much she believed in him when he didn’t share the same sentiment. He didn’t know if he could perform live in a concert setting. “I need to take you on tour with me. I’ll tag you as my emotional support Vega,” he joked.

She snickered and rolled her eyes. “As long as I don’t have to wear a reflective vest.” She smiled at him then, looking into his eyes and shaking her head slowly , one of her hands raising into his hair and curling into it a bit . “Look how far you’ve come in such a short time. You’re a shooting star. Brilliant. I hope you’re proud of yourself, because  you should  be.”

“I am proud of myself.” He leaned into her hand, letting his face rest on her arm. “Everyone is telling me I did a good job. I only wanted to hear that from you.”

Her heart melted. “You did a good job, Ulquiorra.” She smiled wider and her eyesight got a little blurry and her cheeks got  a bit  rosy, but she maintained her composure. “What do you have to do after this?”

“Nothing, I’m free until ten tomorrow morning; interview,” he explained.

“Do you want to pretend you’re just a normal dude and go catch a show? You could get changed and we could sit on a towel and watch somebody play something that sounds  suspiciously  like Dave Matthews Band?” she asked with a chuckle. 

His grin got wider as he nodded his head. “If he  starts playing number forty-one, I’m bouncing,” Ulquiorra said.

“Haha, same. Do you have a trailer or something to change in?”

“Nope. I  did bring another t-shirt though,” he said as he led her to the backstage area. Ulquiorra found Aaron and Ggio near their equipment. He nodded at them. “I figure it’s time for some introductions. Aaron, G, this is Orihime.”

Both men nodded and mumbled a hello to her.

“Hi guys,” she said with a grin and a small wave. She  wasn’t exactly bothered by the lack of interest on their parts; she  hadn’t expected much .

“Eh, Ulq. We’re going to this party, we would invite you and her along but--” Aaron said but  was cut off by the shorter bass player.

“Underage,” Ggio stated. “Wouldn’t want you to hit the tabloids for getting caught drinking.”

“It’s fine guys. We have that interview tomorrow, so try not to get too smashed,” Ulquiorra said as he grabbed his guitar case and his bookbag. He opened the bag to fish out the clean t-shirt and took off the one he had on. He shook out the black t-shirt and put it on, turning toward Orihime. “We can go sit down somewhere , if you want .”

She nodded and took his hand, leading him away from the main stage to a smaller side stage she had scoped out earlier. It was just a grassy spot, and the woman and man on stage  were dressed in ethnic hippy clothing, playing an acoustic drum and a guitar and , indeed, singing Dave Matthews knock-off songs. Orihime turned her face towards Ulquiorra and laughed before kneeling down, pulling thin towel out of her large purse to sit on, not wanting to stain her white sundress. She also had a wrap in her purse, which she pulled out and put over her shoulders, offering a side to Ulquiorra as he sat beside her.

He shook his head as he sat down beside Orihime and put his stuff between his legs. “This is... I feel like I should  be smelling patchouli incense.”

“Right?” she giggled. “I kind of want to take my shoes and bra off and become one with nature.”

“I’d pay to see that, but not here,” Ulquiorra said, giving her a side-eyed glance. “So, tomorrow...”

“Yeah? What time are you leaving?” she asked, the smile falling from her face slowly.

“My plane leaves after yours. I got you a ticket back to Ohio which lands in Columbus. I figured you’d want to get there before Hisagi does and throws all your shit to the curb,” Ulquiorra said.

Orihime raised her eyebrows. “I hope he wouldn’t do that.  Honestly , I feel like I should wait for him to show up to go inside though… I wouldn’t want him going through my apartment without me, you know? It seems invasive. Anyway, maybe I can give good old Ivan a call and be a third wheel with him and Grimmy for a day  or so  until Shu gets back.”

Ulquiorra gave her an unimpressed look. “You never know with jilted would-be lovers. He  probably  wants to kick my ass for stealing you away.”

She smirked at him. “If memory serves _ , you _ kicked  _ his _ ass. Poor Shu. He  is sweet ,” she said in a pitying tone, then added, “when he’s not trying to stick his tongue down your throat.”

A rude snort left Ulquiorra and he didn’t bother to hide it. “He better not try to do that again to you. Next time I ’m not going to be that nice. Next time I will give him a front row seat to his own funeral.”

Orihime leaned into him and put her mouth near his ear and hummed, “Mmm, I like it when you defend your territory. Very manly.”

“You’re mine and I’m yours,” Ulquiorra said, kissing her forehead. “Let’s enjoy the rest of this hippy parade.”


	6. Bodycam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: nonconsensual fondling

Orihime texted Ichigo after her plane landed in Columbus. He had agreed to pick her up at the airport. 

Her goodbye with Ulquiorra in Austin had been sad, but not overly so. Orihime had accepted Kisuke’s proposal to come out to LA and was already making the arrangements. He said he expected to be ready for her in ten days to two weeks; he only needed to have someone clean out the pool house, book her a ticket and get her a car to use. She had objected to the latter strongly, but he insisted, saying that he wanted to get a more practical vehicle for going into the mountains and leaving in airport parking lots for weeks at a time, anyway. The cars he and Yoruichi drove were much too fancy for such things.

So she and Ulquiorra had not said an open-ended goodbye. It was short-term. It was doable. It was good, too, she thought, as she waited for Ichigo to come pick her up. They had thrown caution to the wind in Austin, and although both of them planned to take it slow in LA, she knew it would be difficult to do that if she had gone with him right away. A little distance would help.

“Hime! Long time no see!” the carrot-top pianist called through the car window. The dipstick didn’t even get out to help her with her stuff, not that she had much. He just popped the trunk and waited for her to climb into the passenger seat of his eight-year-old VW Passat. It was well-used, too. Ichigo was not much for keeping the interior clean. There were drive-through receipts on the floormats and empty paper cups in the cup holders. There was sheet music and a suit jacket thrown haphazardly across the back seat. 

“Hey, Ivan, how’re you doing?” Orihime said, ignoring the mess.

“Great. How was Austin? I heard that Ollie did well. That Michelle girl was bragging in the lobby of Fine Arts that her roommate’s boyfriend was headlining shows at South by Southwest. Oh, how we laughed when she was forced to explain why he was kissing you and not her roommate.”

“Wait a second, how did anybody even know I was there?”

“You mean you haven’t… oh yeah that’s right you’re not on Instagram anymore. You may want to reactivate your account. There are pictures of you and Ollie, and pictures of him and his band, and pictures of you and some face tattoo dude all over it.”

Orihime chuckled. “Maybe I should. Anyway, do you know anyone who wants to buy a van? I can’t bring the creeper van with me out to LA. I can take it to a dealership, but I thought I would offer it first to people we know.”

“Grimmjow could probably use it. He drives an ancient Dodge Neon. He said he has cash sitting around, too. How much are you asking?” Ichigo said as he merged onto the highway.

“Just the balance of the loan. I’m not looking to make a profit or anything,” she said, checking the time. Ulquiorra’s flight would be landing soon. She tapped out a text to him.

  * I’ve landed, am safely in Ivanhoe’s pigsty of a car, and have potentially sold the creeper van. A productive Friday, don’t you think? ;) Anyway, let me know when you land. I miss you <3 Love you.



***

Ulquiorra said nothing to the driver of the car. He and Nemu weren’t really on friendly terms at the moment. The entire ride to the beach house was filled with uncomfortable silence until she pulled into the driveway. 

“I will see you this week for your outfit fittings,” she commented in a rather flat and lifeless voice.

He scoffed. “Can’t you send an assistant over or something with them?”

Nemu’s head shook back and forth. “I don’t have an assistant. You know that,” she replied.

It figured. Of course he knew she didn’t have an assistant. It went against her giving all of her time and attention to one client. The thing was, Ulquiorra wasn’t a client anymore; at least he didn’t think so. “Well, have Nanao come with you,” he said before getting out of the car and then getting his bags out of the trunk.

“Ulquiorra,” she called from the front of the car.

  
  
He didn’t really have any choice but to walk with his stuff over to that side of the car. “What, Nemu?”

“You’re looking a lot better than what you were,” the stylist said. “Keep it up, okay?”

A confused expression crossed his face as he watched the car leave. Ulquiorra shook his head and dragged his luggage into the beach house, glad to be back in Los Angeles. Well, at least in the vicinity of the metropolis. He would be able to sleep in his own bed and take a shower in his own bathroom. He could take a swim or even record a new song. He left his stuff in the living room and walked to the kitchen and over to the cupboard where he kept those high calorie shakes and snagged one.

There was no way he was resorting to his old ways, but he was so tired from this past week, the flight, and dealing with Nemu, that he didn’t feel like cooking or ordering anything. Was he feeling like this because of the festival let down? Was the performance high finally wearing off?

  
  
After drinking the shake, Ulquiorra decided to turn his phone back on and found he had text messages from his mom, his dad, Orihime, and Nanao. 

The assistant’s text was simple; it welcomed him back and told him his schedule for the week. He didn’t really have anything but a session with a tattoo artist. There was a meeting with the record execs. Oetsu wanted to go through a playback of the album.

His mom and dad were proud of him. Both of the text messages said so, in so many words. His mother sent over news of Obscuras IV’s success at South by Southwest. They had garnered national attention, so his mother would get to keep her job.

  
  
Great.

The only text that he replied to was Orihime’s.

\- At home now. I had to get a ride with Nem. That was an uncomfortable time. I miss you. I love you. Great job for being productive. I’ve managed to drink a shake. I might do laundry. I might go to bed and sleep for like a billion hours. <3

***

Orihime and Ichigo hadn’t really thought the whole “crashing in Columbus” thing through. He nearly dropped her off at Albertson Hall, when she had to gently remind him that she wasn’t a student anymore and had no accommodations.

“Shit, um, Hime, I’ve got a roommate and… Oh!” Ichigo pulled his phone out. “Yo, Hails. What are you up to?”

Orihime rolled her eyes. She had talked to him about this already. He had told her not to worry about it. In the end, Hailey was willing to share her bed with Orihime. They were both small, although Hailey was a lot taller, anyway, and she also lived in Robinson.

It felt surreal to walk into that lobby again after all those months and go up the same elevator she had used so many times to visit Ulquiorra. It would have been pleasantly nostalgic, if she hadn’t run into that Michelle bitch.

“Oh. Oh ho ho ho, what do we have here? Can’t keep your paws in one nest, Orihime?” the obnoxious voice nearly squealed as she and Ichigo waited for Hailey to answer her door. 

Orihime closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten. “Michelle. What a surprise. How’s the roommate?” Orihime asked with a pinched grin and dagger eyes.

“Why don’t you stop by later and find out for yourself? We’re just down the hall, although if you and Kurosaki are too, you know, _busy_ , I would understand. Toodles,” the brunette said as she trotted away.

“Bitch,” Orihime noted aloud.

Ichigo chuckled. “Oh, come on, you could do a lot worse than me,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes and then trained them on the door, waiting for it to open. It was taking an awfully long time.

Finally, after several more minutes, Hailey opened the door in tears. She looked at Orihime and shook her head, finally whimpering, “How could you?” before slamming the door in her face.

Orihime’s eyes widened. “What the hell?” she asked, as she turned her face to Ichigo.

He shrugged and knocked at the door again, calling for his girlfriend. She let him in, and Orihime waited in the hall. And waited. And waited. She could hear the muffled voices of Hailey and Ichigo behind the door, and the female sounded very distressed. Finally, about ten minutes later, Ichigo came out. “Come on, we’re going to Grimm’s,” he said, picking up Orihime’s larger bag and dragging her to the elevators. 

She didn’t see a teal-colored head pop out of a door down the hall, but she did hear that bitch, Michelle’s, evil cackling.

When the elevator doors finally closed, Ichigo started to tell Orihime what was going on. “The lawsuit’s been dismissed. It’s already in the news. Somehow or another, pictures of you and Oliver getting, um, intimate, were leaked. It doesn’t look good for you. There were also pictures of us and pictures of you and some dude with face tattoos going into an apartment. The press is saying you and Hailey and the other girls are money-grubbing liars. Hailey is obviously upset.”

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._ “Shit! What the hell, Ichigo? How did-- How is that even possible? What difference does it make if I have sex with my boyfriend?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen it, Hime. Maybe check your emails? Maybe there is something from the lawyer in there.”

_Fucking hell._ “I’ll check once we get out of here. I don’t want to run into anybody else.”

Orihime was in the car as quickly as she could. On the elevator ride she had looked up the news online. It was only reported in tabloids, not that that was any consolation. The tabloids made their millions smearing people’s reputations. There they were, in grainy black and white: pictures from the hotel room at the Hyatt of her going down on Ulquiorra. Of them making love in the bed. Screenshots of her and Shu singing, a picture of them walking into his apartment, with Shu totally crowding her. She couldn’t fucking believe it. She had been set up. She waited until the car started, then texted Ulquiorra.

  * I’m so screwed. I knew it. I knew she was up to something in our room. There are pictures. The lawsuit has been dismissed. I am so fucking upset right now. I’m sorry. 



***

Ulquiorra had been in the shower when Orihime’s text came in. His phone was sitting on the counter and dinged loudly as he dried off. His brow wrinkled as he read the words on the screen. What was Orihime talking about?

  
  
\- What do you mean pictures? Why are you sorry? What do you mean your lawsuit has been dismissed? You mean the one against Aizen?

Orihime read his message while still in the car. 

  * Yes, the Aizen suit. I’m sorry because there are very intimate pictures of us in tabloids. I don’t know how it’s going to play out for you but it’s probably the last thing you need. 



Oh hell no. This wouldn’t do. Nanao would kill him. His mother would kill him. What about the label? Ulquiorra tapped the phone icon and waited as it rang. 

“Hello?” Orihime’s voice was shaking.

“Hey, what do you mean there’s intimate pictures of us? I’ve seen the ones of us kissing. That’s nothing new,” Ulquiorra said.

“The tabloids have what look like stills from a video taken from inside your hotel room in Austin. They’re from the night I caught Nemu in there and the night after. You remember what happened that night, right?”

It was the night of the blowjob. Crap. “Uh, yeah. Fuck. What--I don’t get it. Why would she? Why would that cause the lawsuit to get thrown out?”

“I don’t know why she would. Jealousy? I don’t know. But regardless, apparently it discredits me as a complainant. I don’t know if that was the only factor, but it seems to be a big one. I don’t know; I haven’t heard from the lawyer yet.” Orihime’s voice was becoming increasingly distressed, although she was making a valiant effort to maintain some semblance of composure.

Ulquiorra had walked from the bathroom and into his bedroom. He sat down heavily on the gigantic bed. What would happen if his name was dragged into this? What would happen to Orihime? He was going to say something when his phone buzzed. Pulling it away from his head, he saw Gin was calling him. Fuck. Double fuck. “Orihime? My boss is on the other line,” he said. “Can you call me when you have more information?”

“Okay,” she said in a small voice. She was afraid to say anything else.

“I love you. I’ve got to answer this. Okay?”

“Okay, I love you too,” she said and hung up.

He answered the other call. “Gin, what’s up?”

“Mister Cifer. We need to talk as soon as possible. A matter has fallen into my lap and it needs to be addressed,” Gin stated.

“I swear I can explain.”

There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. “Can you? Look, we have people well versed in this kind of stuff… Professionals. So, don’t worry. Just be here tomorrow by ten. We’ll talk then.”

When the call ended, Ulquiorra took a deep breath and then blew it out. If Orihime thought she was fucked, she had no clue. The green-eyed man had a bad, bad feeling about this.

***

Jon Cifer thought it best not to mention to Steve that he was in Columbus not only to make a bakery delivery for a wedding that Saturday, but also to pick up a particular redhead and deliver her to Shuhei Hisagi. Once again the drive was mostly quiet on his end. The difference this time was that it was also mostly quiet on hers.

Orihime politely answered Ulquiorra’s father’s questions about the festival in Austin, but was otherwise preoccupied with the tabloid articles she had spent the previous evening reading and rereading. It turned out that the photographs were merely to establish the idea that she was supposedly promiscuous. The things that really sold the story were her connection to Obscuras IV and an unnamed witness who informed the press and gave a deposition under oath about how Ms. Inoue had seduced Sousuke Aizen, Ichigo Kurosaki, Shuhei Hisagi, and, of course, Ulquiorra Cifer, who already was in a long-term relationship. The witness was able to provide audio/visual, photographic, and written evidence of Mr. Cifer’s relationship with the other woman, identified only by the initials N.O., as well as Ms. Inoue’s efforts to come between the OIV frontman and his girlfriend _concurrent_ with her seduction of the other three mentioned males.

Her relationship with Sousuke Aizen was corroborated by another anonymous source who claimed to know both parties as well as Mr. Cifer. Said source also detailed how she was verbally threatened by Ms. Inoue after showing concern for Mr. Cifer’s well-being, after Mr. Cifer had become distraught and lost weight when their relationship deteriorated as a result of Ms. Inoue’s involvement with both Sousuke Aizen and Shuhei Hisagi.

In addition, the defendant’s counsel had obtained written statements by several OSU students confirming persistent rumors of Ms. Inoue’s voluntary involvement in a sexual relationship with Dr. Aizen, as well as the voluntary and flirtatious nature of several other plaintiffs, including Hailey Rodgers, who was in a romantic relationship with both Ichigo Kurosaki and Columbus DJ and digital art student, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. 

The nail in the coffin, however, was that Ms. Inoue’s aunt and famed soprano, Claire Cartwright, had stood as a character witness for the defense, giving a written statement not only standing up for Dr. Aizen’s morally impeccable person, having known him personally and professionally for many years, but also testifying that her niece, plaintiff Orihime Inoue, had a long track record of seducing her male mentors and then crying wolf.

An email from the attorney representing the girls that morning confirmed that the defense’s witnesses were what threw the case. The pictures were just to defame Orihime’s character, which, in turn, lent credibility to the witnesses’ testimony, The attorney had admonished Orihime for not telling her all the details of her sexual history and leaving her ill-prepared to argue against the allegations of the witnesses, and that even if the girls wished to appeal the dismissal, that she would be withdrawing as attorney of record from the case.

Orihime felt numb. She could not believe this. On the other hand, it felt like it was just her luck. Her aunt had it out for her. So did Aizen, Nel, Nemu, that Michelle girl, and any number of people jealous of her relationship with Ulquiorra. She should have never joined the lawsuit, though. She knew this was going to blow up in their faces. Still… Regardless of the outcome, she knew it had been the right thing to do. And even if this lawsuit didn’t stick this time, the inevitable next one surely would.

That is what she kept telling herself during the drive with Mr. Cifer back to Shu’s place. She had to, or she was going to completely lose her shit.

***

The magazine slapped the table with enough force to make Ulquiorra flinch. His mother, Tosen, Gin, Nanao, Koma, and Nemu were in the conference room, seated around one side of the table while he sat on the other side. 

“You said that you could explain,” Gin said with a wide smile on his face.

Nanao had given him a heads up on what the rag said on the drive to the building but still… He had no clue what to expect of this meeting. “What is she doing here?” Ulquiorra asked, pointing at Nemu.

It was Maria who answered. “Nemu and her business are employed by Espada Records. She’s the one who Orihime threatened. Nemu had a job to do during the festival and your girlfriend hindered her from doing the job.”

“Nemu was in my room without my permission. She had a camera--”

“That was going to be used to take pictures of your body so that she could continue to design the costumes we have planned,” Tosen replied.

“Ulquiorra, did you know that there was a lawsuit going on that Orihime was involved in?”

He nodded. “Of course, I did. I supported her. I’ve witnessed first hand what Aizen did to Orihime.”

“Did you know she was involved with these other people?”

“She wasn’t involved--”

“There are pictures and witnesses of her with each of those individuals. There are photos of you and her together. Rather intimate pictures,” Gin replied. 

Ulquiorra scowled. What was this guy implying? “Orihime has been with me since September--”

“Except for those three months you two were broken up,” came the statement from Nemu. “You know the period of time where you stopped eating and caring about anything? You were content to let everyone make decisions for you. The period of time where you were drinking and kept coming on to me while drunk?”

No one on the business side of the table looked surprised at her words. Ulquiorra opened his mouth and then closed it. The room was quiet for several long seconds. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.

“You’re going to have to drop Orihime,” Tosen said.

“EXCUSE ME? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?” Ulquiorra yelled and stood. The chair he was sitting in went flying. “Absolutely not! I just got her back into my life! What the fuck am I supposed to tell her?”

“What you tell Miss Inoue is your own business,” Gin stated.

Ulquiorra’s face took on a look of heartbreak. “But you don’t understand,” he said looking at the record execs. “Orihime is my best friend. She’s my--”

“We don’t care. Right now she’s tarnishing your image and that of Espada Records. Maybe once this whole thing blows over you can be together, but right now, I think having you be single or with someone totally unrelated might be a good choice,” Tosen replied. The black man sighed.

His mother’s mouth turned down into a frown. “Ulquiorra, right now your image is fragile and we need to cultivate that you’re a strong frontman. We can’t do that if you and Orihime have been off and on for months. You two seemed strong in the beginning of your relationship -I saw the instagram photos- but you’re in the public eye, and tabloids, gossip rags, papps, and vloggers will tear you to shreds.”

“But what do I tell her?”

Koma answered. “You’re going to be going on tour soon. As far as we know, Miss Inoue is in Ohio. Do you know when Soul Society is bringing her back to California?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. He wasn’t giving anyone any information about Orihime. “Are we done? I kind of want to go back to Laguna Beach.”

It was the truth. He wanted to go back to the beach house and mull this all over. He wanted to decide what to do. “What if I decide not to drop her?”

He didn’t like Gin’s smile. “Good luck being successful,” he said.

***

Orihime was dropped off at Shu’s place a bit early and let herself in, starting to bring down her things from his spare room into her van. She had texted him to let him know that she was there; she didn’t want there to be any surprises.

He and Kira got there about forty-five minutes later, exhausted and crabby. Orihime had managed to get most of her things packed up by then, and was just going back for her bathroom items and Ulquiorra’s plants when she caught Shuhei in the living room.

“Hey, um, we need to talk, Orihime.”

Orihime took a deep breath. “What about, Shu? You know I can’t stay here. Ulquiorra and I are back together, and I can’t give him reasons to worry. You understand that, right?”

Shu closed his eyes and pursed his lips in an exasperated sort of way. “Yeah, that’s not what we need to talk about. I’ve been getting calls from reporters asking about our relationship. Apparently there has been some big exposé about you and how we were apparently together. What am I supposed to tell them?”

Orihime sat down on the couch heavily and sighed. “Just tell them the truth, Shu. We both worked in the same building. We became friends. We recorded and played music together. If you want to tell them about the other stuff, I mean, it is what it is. Personally, I wouldn’t. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them we never had a more than a friendly working relationship.”

Shuhei nodded. Despite being pissed about what happened, he was smart enough to know that it would look better for him if he didn’t come across as some kind of loser who couldn’t get Orihime to go out with him. “Okay. I’ll say that’s all it was, and that you were always planning on just crashing here for a week or so before South by.”

“Thanks, Shu. Also, I’m sorry about--”  
  


“Don’t, Orihime. Just don’t.”

Orihime nodded. She wished there was something she could do, but there wasn’t. She went and grabbed the plants and her bath towels and went to the door. “If you are ever in LA, let me know. I’d love to record with you again someday, Shu.”

The tattooed man gave her a mirthless smile and waved. “Yeah, see you, Hime.”

Orihime smiled back and left. Her next stop was Ulquiorra’s house; somebody needed to be given temporary custody of his vegetable children. It was about a ten minute drive to the Cifer residence from Shu’s apartment, and she spent the entire trip praying that Steve wasn’t home.

She was not in luck. She saw his work truck in the driveway. She decided to ring the bell at the front door instead of going to the side door as she was accustomed.

“I swear to god, if it’s--Oh, its you. What do you want?” Steve asked as he opened the front door.

“Hey Steve, I’m just here to give these to Jon. They’re Ulquiorra’s,” Orihime responded with her head between the foliage of the two potted plants.

“Yeah, well, this is my house too, and I don’t want those rejects--”

“Steven!” Jon’s voice boomed from behind him. “Move out of the way and let her in!”

Steve sighed dramatically and moved out of the way, grumbling as he did so. He had half a mind to trip the redheaded whore and make her drop the plants. He sniffed and then walked into the kitchen. He didn’t want Jon to yell at him anymore.

The older Cifer looked at Orihime. “What are these?” he asked, taking the orchid and then the small bonsai. “Is this Vega and Strife? Does Ulquiorra know that you’re giving these up?”

“Yes, they are, and not exactly, although he probably figured it out. I’m moving out to LA in a couple weeks and I can’t exactly bring them with me on the plane. I’m not going to just throw them out,” she said, unsure how much of what was going on that he knew about. She hadn’t discussed anything other than the fact that she and Ulquiorra had spent time together in Austin and how well his son had performed.

“Is everything alright with you two? Maria texted me...” Jon didn’t divulge any more information than that. He didn’t want his boyfriend to throw another fit. “Ulq looked a lot better in the pictures I saw.”

She smiled. “Yeah, I mean, we’re working things out. There’s a lot to work through, and we’re planning on taking it a day at a time, but we want to be together, ultimately. As for the rest… I’m not sure. Have you seen the gossip news?”

Jon nodded. “Maria sent me a link. She told me what the label was planning for Ulquiorra. None of that stuff in the article is true, right?”

That got her attention if he didn’t already have it. “Of course not. I mean, I am pretty sure I know who those “unnamed witnesses” were, and they are awful people. One of them works for the record label and has been trying to get into Ulquiorra’s pants since he moved out there. She is a crazy person. She’s almost old enough to be his mother. The other one is either Nel’s roommate or her boyfriend. It could be Nel, but I doubt it, somehow. Both of them hate me. The thing is…” Orihime wore a pained expression while she considered whether or not to tell Jon. “My aunt… She knew Aizen was a deviant, but she arranged for me to be his student anyway. She um, she has never had my best interests at heart. She’s stood against me more than once before. What is the label planning for Ulquiorra?”

“As much as I want to tell you, I was promised a swift death. The label gave him an ultimatum and Maria wouldn’t give me any more details than that,” Jon replied. “She said Ulquiorra was thinking it over.”

Orihime pressed her eyes shut. This couldn’t mean anything good. “I guess I’ll find out soon. I’m planning on getting to LA before the end of the month.”

“Espada Records is planning on dropping his album around that time. I know he’s set to go on tour in April or May.”

Orihime opened her eyes. “I see… Well, we’ll be apart then anyway, no matter what. I don’t know. This is all so fucked up, pardon my French, Jon.”

Jon nodded. He held out his arms to Orihime. “Give me the plants and then do you want a hug?” he asked.

She bit her lip and nodded. She had missed Jon a lot, even though it had only been a few weeks. He was kind of a rock. She needed someone like him in her life and she was about to say goodbye to him, too. She handed him the plants one at a time and after he had set them on a side table she let him pull her into a hug. “I’m really going to miss you, Jon,” she murmured through the lump in her throat. She didn’t try to stop the tears that dropped onto his shirt.

“Awww--”

“I KNEW IT! I knew it!” Steve screeched. “I knew she was here for something! Look at her hanging all over you! You read that article, Jon. She’s nothing but a common whore!”

Orihime turned to face to the other man slowly. That was it. She had reached her limit. “I AM NOT A WHORE!” she screamed at Steve, her fists balled up at her sides. She stood there after she said it, breathing heavily and staring at him, not really aware of what she had done.

Jon put a hand on Orihime’s shoulder and then turned to Steve. “Get your shit, Steve, and get out. Orihime is like a daughter to me and I won’t have you calling her that! She needs us in her life, and I’m not about to turn her away!”

“Whatever. I was just about to leave you anyway,” Steve said flippantly as he walked up the stairs. The bedroom door slammed somewhere above their heads.

Orihime looked back at Jon with a spooked expression. “Oh no, Jon, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I always ruin everything! I’ll go apologize--”

“No!” Jon’s voice was firm. “This has been years in the making, Orihime. You do not need to apologize. When he goes, it’s good riddance to him. He’s been making this place miserable since the last break up. You’re fine. Do you have a place to stay while in Columbus? I can put you in touch with some friends of mine who have an extra room.”

“Um, okay,” she said. “I was staying with a friend of a friend; the guy I did the New Year's Eve show with. He’s a total jerk, but he’s not home much, so if your people aren’t available it’s fine.”

“I’ll ask them and then text you. Are you gonna be okay, Kiddo?”

She nodded. “Are you?”

Jon had a sad look on his face as he nodded his head. “I’ve been through this song and dance enough to know what to expect. It’ll be okay for both of us. You go out to Los Angeles and you make me proud.”

Orihime nodded until she couldn’t see through the film of wetness coating her eyes, then put her arms around Jon’s waist and squeezed. “I won’t let you down,” she whispered.

***

Nemu showed up the next morning. She had seven different garment bags and a camera in her hands when he let her inside the beach house. “What are you doing?” Ulquiorra asked.

“My job.”

“Don’t you think you should have called or texted? What if I was on my way somewhere?” Ulquiorra asked as she headed to the stairs. “Where are you going, Nemu?”

The stylist looked at him from over her shoulder. “To your room, unless you want to just strip down in the living room.”

Ulquiorra had no choice but to follow her up the stairs. At least he could retreat to the bathroom if things got to be too much. “What’s all this you brought?”

“Outfits for your tour. We’re supposed to go through the choices and then you’re to try on the ones you like. I’ll make adjustments and send them off to the tailor.”

“What about the camera?”

Nemu gave him a look like he was an idiot before she rolled her eyes. She was silent and didn’t answer him as she set up the first outfit. “I’m going to take pictures of you. Almost naked pictures. I need to get your measurements and—“

_Wait a damn minute._ Didn’t Nemu already have this information? He scowled at her as he watched her move around his room. “Nemu, what do you want? Why are you doing all of this?”

“I’m just doing my job, Ulquiorra. Strip down to your boxers and we’ll begin.”

The process took several hours and Ulquiorra rejected anything that look remotely like it came out of a J-rock video. One outfit had feathered wings. His favorite outfit was the black sleeveless t-shirt which was fitted. Nemu had paired a light knee length vest with it along with black cargo shorts and a bandana printed with IV all over it. She had a pair of black leggings for him to wear under it for indoor venues and spike studded leather boots. 

“There are also two cross necklaces, a bunch of bracelets and a spiked leather glove for you to wear,” Nemu said as she adjusted the outfit. “You’ll come out on stage with the bandana around your nose and face and then take it off when you start performing. Heavy eyeliner and it’s up to you if you want to do those teal streaks. I also have this outfit in all white with black accessories.”

“I was thinking about making those teal marks permanent,” Ulquiorra said as he looked at himself in the mirror that hung beside the door of the room. It was floor length and had plenty of room for Ulquiorra to admire himself as he turned around. “What about a belt?”

Nemu was already behind him, threading a belt he owned through the loops of the shorts. “You’re going to need to bulk up more to make your jeans and other clothing fit right again,” Nemu said. “Also you’re going to get those teal marks tattooed on your face? Tacky. You think your girlfriend likes men with face tattoos?”

“Shut up,” Ulquiorra replied. He watched Nemu’s hands as she tucked and pulled at the clothes, making the outfit look perfect. 

“Make me,” she said quietly. “Did you want the white outfit too?”

Ulquiorra wasn’t sure, but he thought he felt her hand ghost over his ass. Why was she issuing challenges to him? Why was she standing so close to him? He really wanted nothing to do with her. “The white one?”

Nemu nodded. “The necklaces are black,” she said trailing a hand down his chest. “They would hang to just about here,” she said stopping right at the bottom of his ribcage. Her other hand ran down his arm and encircled his wrist. “The bracelets are white braided leather and a leather cord I think.” 

She shouldn’t have been touching him like this. It wasn’t professional at all. Of course, he should have stepped away from her or pushed her away. “Do I need to put the white one on?”

“Just a minute,” the stylist said as she came around to the front of Ulquiorra’s body. She got on her knees and then unrolled a small measuring tape. He looked down at the woman and watched as she measured around his mid thigh area. She made a note on her phone before her hands moved and Ulquiorra felt her hands on his groin.

“Don’t touch--”

“Shut up, I’m trying to work,” she said as she undid the belt, zipper and buttons of the cargo shorts. He tried to stop the fabric from falling down his legs but since he had lost weight, they just slid to the floor. “Now I can work more accurately,” Nemu said with a slight smirk.

He turned his head away from the woman and his eyes landed on his and Nemu’s reflection in the mirror. Ulquiorra swallowed as he watched her hand snake up the inside of the leg of his boxers. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. “Stop,” he whispered harshly at the woman as soon as her fingers encircled his cock.

“No, if you go to anyone, I already have a story that you sexually harassed me first. Besides, you let me do this and I’ll reward you,” she stated as if she was talking about the weather.

“What?” Ulquiorra stared at her face in the mirror as she spoke. He could see she was looking at him. “You’re going to--This is bullshit. Let go.”

“I have the video of you and Orihime in Austin. Do you want it? I have everything. Surely you want to relive that blow job, don’t you?”

As soon as she mentioned Orihime, his body started to respond. “You have the video of her giving me head?”

Nemu’s smile got wider. “Yes, I’ve been studying it. I think I could replicate the results.”

“That’s cheating, and what you’re doing is--” Ulquiorra had to turn his gaze to the ceiling, fed up with the stylist and her behavior. He wasn’t interested in this woman. Why didn’t she understand? “I have a girlfriend, Nemu. Why can’t you accept this?”

“You are an eligible bachelor according to Espada Records. You know you’re going to drop her for that chance at fame. Do you want the video?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “I do, but I don’t. Not if it involves you touching me. Please stop,” he said, bringing his hand down and grabbing her wrist.

“I’m wearing a body cam and I have friends who can edit this to make it look like you attacked me. I just want to show you what I can do,” Nemu told him.

His head shook back and forth. He didn’t want to know what she could do. He didn’t want her touching him like she was. Her hands were sliding up and down his length. Nemu must have known that conjuring the mental image of Orihime would make his body respond. As far as he was concerned, he was still attached to Orihime. She was his girlfriend, and would be his girlfriend until she said differently. What Nemu was doing was not only an assault on him, but jeopardized his delicate connection to Orihime.

Just thinking about the redhead gave him the strength to take a step back and then another and another before he was stumbling to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut and locked it. The green-eyed male slid to the floor, sitting there as he heard Nemu moving around in the other room.

“We still need to pick out one more outfit,” she said from the other side of the door. 

“Go to hell, Nemu!”

“Honestly, Ulquiorra. You act like the world’s biggest bitch sometimes. She’s not here. From what I’ve heard, she practically begged Aizen to fuck her on that Steinway piano.”

What? Ulquiorra got to his feet and pulled the cargo shorts back up his thighs, making sure they were buttoned and fastened before he yanked open the door. “What do you mean he fucked her on the Steinway?”

“Aizen used to be a part of Espada Records, but left to take up a teaching position. He felt stifled here because he couldn’t sing what he wanted. You know how Gin and Tosen are,” Nemu said.

“Aizen is a fucking predator and Orihime would never--”

“She has a nice collection of lingerie,” Nemu said, cutting him off. “Aizen has pictures of her in some of it.”

Ulquiorra slammed the door in Nemu’s face again before he stripped off the clothes the stylist had given him. He pulled on his jeans and t-shirt before picking up the costume and opening the door again. Nemu was still standing there. “I don’t want to be around you. I don’t want to be alone with you. You want me to pick another outfit, fine. The kilt will do fine. Now leave.”

***

Orihime stopped in the middle of nowhere to stretch her legs and message Ulquiorra on her way back to Columbus.

  * picked up all my stuff from Shu’s. It went okay he was too tired to be rude. I left Vega and Strife with your dad. Something happened when I was there between him and Steve. Give me a call later when you have a chance. Maybe call your dad, too. I’m on my way back to Columbus right now. Love you <3



She got back into the car and started it up, then remembered something else.

  * Also, Jon told me Maria gave you an ultimatum and it is related to the story. Please talk to me before you tell them your decision. 



She reversed out of her parking spot and got back on the road. She would be back at Grimmjow’s place in a little over an hour if she didn’t hear from Jon first.

***

Ulquiorra stood in the shower for a long time after Nemu left; she insisted on not leaving until she had her photographs, and she told him to strip down again. Ulquiorra refused until she reminded him that she had him on video with her hands in his boxers. There was footage of her casually jerking him off. She said she wouldn’t hesitate to release this stuff to gossip bloggers or to his girlfriend.

She had fondled him again and he cringed every time her hands came in touch with his body. She made him try on every outfit again. Nemu had measured his legs, telling Ulquiorra that she would make sure the costumes would be tailored perfectly to him. He tried to ignore her hand on his dick. He grit his teeth and stared up at the ceiling while she tried to coax him to an erection again. She eventually left when it was clear that she would get no reaction from him. Ulquiorra had said nothing to her as she left.

He couldn’t do it. He switched his brain to the Nel position. He remembered what happened with Nel where it took forever for her to get him up and off. He had just gone along with Nemu… Just like he had done with Nel.

Why?

Why the fuck did he let that old bitch lay a hand on him? Was this what it felt like for Orihime? Was this why she wouldn’t tell Aizen off? Nemu was in a position of power. She could make or break his look. She had already threatened to blackmail him. She probably had some sway with the executives at Espada Records. She could probably tell them he wasn’t marketable material. Would they listen?

He’d already shown he didn’t like this life; that he didn’t want to be there. Ulquiorra had checked out for several months, preferring to get lost in daydreams and thoughts of red hair instead of paying attention. His thoughts went back to what Orihime said to him months ago. She had told him something like this could happen to him. 

While in the shower, he stood there, palms against the marble tile wall and thought about things. He felt pretty worthless right now. If he told anyone he had been sexually assaulted by his stylist they wouldn’t believe him. There were pictures of them kissing. Nemu had pictures of them cuddling. He had talked to Nanao about wanting to take her out on dates and have sex with her. They had been acting more or less like a couple since November. No one would believe him, especially since Nemu already accused him of harassing her.

He cried when he couldn’t take it anymore. He never thought something like this would happen to him, but it had happened twice now. Once with Nel and now with Nemu. The difference between the incidents was that he was a willing participant with Nel up to a point. He didn’t want anything to do with Nemu. 

Who could he tell about this? Would his mother believe him? Would his dad believe him? Would Orihime--Shit. No, she wouldn’t believe him. He had already betrayed her once. Once again sobs wracked his body, and it took him some time to calm down. He stayed in the shower until the water got cold.

He texted Nanao and asked her to set up another appointment with the therapist. He was not going to let this ruin his life. 

Ulquiorra read Orihime’s texts after that. He had to do some soul searching before he answered her. The next step he took was calling his father. His dad sounded upset when he responded.

“Dad?”

“Hey Ulq, how’s it going kiddo?” There was a sniffle and it sounded like his dad coughed.

Ulquiorra sighed. He would push his issues to the side for a moment and listen to his dad. “What happened?”

“Orihime tell you?”

“She told me that you and Steve--”

Jon sniffled again. “Don’t worry yourself with my problems, Ulq. Is there a reason why you called?”

“I don’t want to do this anymore Dad. I want to come home.” Ulquiorra’s voice was flat and unemotional until he hit the last word. “Something--something happened and I don’t want to be out here anymore. I’m tired of being by myself. Is there any way you can get me a lawyer not tied to Espada Records?”

“Ulq, what’s wrong? What happened?”

The younger Cifer told his father what happened earlier that day. He told him everything that happened since December concerning Nemu, Orihime, and himself. “That’s why I need a lawyer. I want out of my contract. This wasn’t part of my dream.”

There was a heavy sigh. “There is no way I can pay your way out of that contract. I could try to find a lawyer, but you know most of my money goes to both of my businesses. With Steve gone… the bills… I should have never let him talk me into that remodel of the house. Have you talked to your mother about this?”

“No, can’t you take my savings and--”

“Why can’t you do that? If you’re asking me to do it, you’re asking me to foot the bill. Have you told Orihime about this?”

Ulquiorra was silent for a long time. He heard Jon sigh. “No,” he finally said. “I don’t know what to tell her. I don’t know what to say to her. I don’t think she’s going to believe me.”

Jon huffed. “You should tell someone about this. Don’t let it eat at you, Ulq. Tell your mom. Tell Orihime. Tell your therapist.”

“I am, Dad. I love you. I’m sorry stuff with Steve isn’t working out.”

“I love you too, Kiddo. I’m sorry I can’t help. If I could I would whisk you away from the hell that you’re in and keep you safe,” Jon said. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Ulquiorra affirmed that he would talk to his dad soon. He totally forgot to ask how his plants were doing. He didn’t think his dad would kill them, but he didn’t know about Steve. He sighed and left the bathroom, getting dressed in a hoodie and sweats. The weather was warming up, but the green-eyed male was chilled from his encounter with the stylist. He went downstairs and rummaged through the refrigerator but came up with nothing to eat. Maybe he’d order a pizza or something.

His dad was right. He had to tell Orihime. He had to tell her the truth. His thumb tapped on her number and he brought the phone to his ear as he went out to sit in the living room.

“Hello?” Orihime’s voice was somewhat cheerful; she had been hoping to hear from him.

“Hey,” he stated. His voice was ragged, and Ulquiorra felt bad because she sounded happy. “How’s your day been?”

“Boring. What’s wrong? You sound upset.” She knew him well enough to hear in his voice how scared and distressed he felt. She was immediately worried.

Ulquiorra cleared his throat. “Uh, um, Nemu came by today… Things… She…” His voice broke and he took a deep breath. He needed to calm down. “She came by to go over outfits with me and she assaulted me...”

_Oh god. Oh no. She… That bitch._ Orihime knew there was something wrong with the stylist, but this? “Ulquiorra, I’m here for you. Tell me what happened,” Orihime conjured a moderately calm tone, although there was a tremor in her voice that was quite noticeable. “You can tell me.”

Could he tell her without her freaking out? It was worth a shot. “We had a meeting yesterday and Nemu basically said that you attacked her and I sexually harassed her. The label has known her longer and of course they believed her. She came over today for me to try on outfits and everything was fine until she was adjusting some of the clothing on me. She--Uh… She took the shorts I was wearing off and was measuring my leg… All of a sudden she had her hand on my dick. She told me that she had a body camera on and if I tried anything she would just tell people I attacked her. She’s the one who recorded the video that night. The blowjob. She has information on you. She said stuff about you and Aizen.”

Orihime gasped, but her shock was quickly followed up with fury. “I _knew_ it!” she ground out, her breathing unsteady and tears coming to her eyes already. “I fucking knew it was her! I fucking— Fuck! Shit!” She had to pause and catch a breath. “She was the one who got the lawsuit thrown out. She knows Aizen? Jesus. And she was going to— How on earth would she be able to substantiate a claim that either of us attacked her, especially you? If she had a body camera it would only prove that you were innocent, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know. She said she had friends who could make it look like I made her do it. There’s more to it. After I told her to get out, she told me that she’d send the video to you and she’d release it to the tabloids and then she started touching me again. I want to get out of here. My dad can’t help because of the thing with Steve,” Ulquiorra said, his voice beginning to shake.

“Oh, honey, please,” her heart was breaking at the tone of his voice. “If you want to run, you run. This is your life. It’s bigger than a contract or some fucked up people. I know my reputation is in tatters, but for what it’s worth, I’m on your side.”

“Orihime,” Ulquiorra said, biting his lip. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t realize what you went through. I’m sorry I judged you for the thing with Aizen.”

She didn’t know what he meant. “Ulquiorra, why are you apologizing?”

“Nemu...” He couldn’t say the rest, his voice choking on her name.

It had to be worse than he had explained. “What did she do to you Babe? Why does your voice sound so painful?” she tried to keep her own fear out of her voice, but she wasn’t very successful. It was killing her that she was so far away and couldn’t physically be there with him or do something. 

“I can’t--she--I told her no--”

Orihime could only guess. “She didn’t stop, though, did she?” She didn’t want to put too many words in his mouth, but it was important to Orihime that she knew the truth.

He swallowed and then blew out a breath. “No. She forced me to--” Once again Ulquiorra choked up. “I wasn’t raped. She touched me.”

“Ulquiorra, listen to me. This isn’t your fault. You didn’t ask her to do it. You told her to stop,” she tried reassuring him.

“I--I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do, Orihime, and...” A sob left him. Why was she believing him when he didn’t have the balls to believe her? “I’m sorry.”

“No, Ulquiorra, please. It’s not your fault,” Orihime was crying along with him, feeling his pain acutely.

“It is my fault. I led her on. I let her do it. I tried to block it out. I tried--” He took a deep breath. “I let this happen to me. It’s my fault.”

Orihime took a slow breath. “My Ulquiorra,” she said softly, as if she could hold him with her words. “I love you so much. You are so good. You have made mistakes, but this was not your fault. She took advantage of her position, just like Aizen did to me. It’s scary. It’s hard to believe it’s happening. It’s hard to know what to do. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do it. She forced her will on you. She didn’t have your permission.”

“I don’t know what to do. If I tell anyone… Nemu’s already made a claim that I’ve sexually harassed her.” He sighed. “There’s other shit at play here, though.”

Ulquiorra had his hands tied, but maybe Orihime _could_ do something. “Can’t you tell your mom? How far up Nemu’s ass is she?” Orihime’s wheels were spinning a bit too fast. “What did she say about Aizen? I want to know how deep this goes.”

Ulquiorra took a deep breath. “It’s not good, Orihime.”

“What do you mean? What did she say?”

This was all too fast for him. He was still focused on what happened with Nemu. He was still freaked out by what happened. Orihime wanted to be Nancy Drew. He didn’t know how to answer her questions.

“I’m not trying to sweep this to the side,” Orihime said as her questions were met with lingering silence. “I’m sorry, I’m making it sound that way. I just know that your hands are tied. But my reputation is in the toilet right now. I have nothing to lose by trying to make her pay for what she did to you.” Orihime sighed. She was letting her protective streak get the better of her. “I’m sorry. I’m getting carried away. I just want to… I didn’t want anything like this to happen to you. I’m pissed off that she would hurt you. I want to make you feel better and I’m not there to hold you and…” She had to remind herself to slow down. “I just love you. I hate to see you hurt.”

If she didn’t want anything like this to happen, why did she say it could? Why didn’t she come with him? No. He couldn’t blame Orihime. She didn’t cause this. It was his fault. It was Nemu’s fault. He sighed. “I know. I understand that. Right now I need to forget it until my therapist appointment. Nemu said that you begged Aizen to fuck you on the Steinway. She said he had pictures of you in lingerie,” Ulquiorra said, fumbling over his reply. His whole body was shivering now and he pulled a soft fuzzy blanket over him that he kept on the couch. It was just shock. He was just in shock about the whole thing.

“Well, if he does, he got them from somebody else, not me. I never asked him to do anything to me. I hope you know that. How do they know each other? Why would they be working together?”

“I don’t know Veggs. All she told me was that he was part of Espada Records years ago and he left to take a teaching position. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I don’t want to be out here anymore. I’m tired of being alone,” Ulquiorra told her the same words that he had told his father.

“I’ll be there next Thursday. If you can hold out until then, I’ll be nearby. Kisuke’s place is in Beverly Hills. I am getting a whole guest house. He made it seem like a tiny place. If you need to hide out, you can stay with me.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “No, I can’t. You asked about that ultimatum. The label wants me to drop you until this tabloid mess blows over,” Ulquiorra said.

“Wha—“ the breath was knocked out of her. “Drop me?”

“Drop you. Break up with you. Be single while I’m on tour. I asked them what would happen if I didn’t,” Ulquiorra explained. He didn’t want to tell her this but it was her right to know. “My bosses said good luck with being successful. My mom explained on the drive back down here that they would blacklist me from everything. Beverly Hills is still like sixty miles away from me.”

Orihime didn’t know what to say. “I… What… What do you want to do?”

A heavy sigh left him. It felt like the world had settled on his shoulders. “I have no clue, Orihime. Are you okay with being a secret?”

“Yes. Well, not okay, but… You’re going on tour soon anyway, right?” She was trying to figure it out in her head. “We were going to be separated no matter what.”

“Just because we’d be separated doesn’t mean I’m going to be like every other musician and fuck everything. I love you. I don’t want to do this, but I won’t be leaving until the end of April or beginning of May. What are you suggesting?” Ulquiorra pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think about this logically.

“I am thinking we do what you suggested when I was living with Shu. We need to take things slowly anyway. We go back online. I turned my Instagram back on. Maybe we can meet up once in awhile. We can talk on the phone. Video chat. I am going to miss you, but I was going to miss you anyway.” She was trying to be positive.

“Woman; my Vega...” Ulquiorra was barely holding on. He needed some comfort. Something. “What’s to take slow? We threw that out the window in Austin. I want to be proud of our relationship. I want to show you off. It pisses me off that I can’t do that. They want me to hook up with some stranger and just erase you from my life--Fuck.”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” It hadn’t occurred to her that he might. What if they pushed it?

He sighed. “I would never do that to you or our relationship ever again. I don’t want anyone but you.”

Orihime took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I want us to be happy. I’m willing to make some compromises in order to get there. I should keep a low profile no matter what for now; I want this tabloid mess to blow over. I want to get to the bottom of this mess. I know it might take a long time and I may never succeed, but what Aizen and Nemu and whoever else is involved are doing is wrong on so many levels. You don’t deserve this and neither do I,” she declared, and a thirst for justice was detectable in her tone, but her voice gentled as she continued, “I love you. I want to trust you. I’m going to _decide_ to trust you. Can you trust me?”

Thank everything in the damn universe. Ulquiorra could have wept with joy. “I trust you completely. What are you thinking of?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I have about ten days here in Columbus with nothing to do on this end but dig. I have suspicions about other people who may have been involved. People who may have had access to your phone or mine to get bad habits. People who would have been able to take those pictures of me and Ichigo. Do you have any idea who might have been involved in taking the pictures of the flowers Shu sent me, or me outside his apartment?”

“Nel. She sent me pictures of the flowers and pictures of you and Hisagi. They were sent from her brother’s number though.” Ulquiorra squeezed his eyes shut as he answered her. “The only bad habits you’ve sent me that someone else had access to was the one on Instagram.”

“Do you know anybody who could or would hack into the cloud? I mean, my password is ridiculously easy.”

He frowned. There was nothing on his cloud except a couple of notes and photos of himself. He didn’t keep material like that on his phone. Usually he transferred everything to his laptop. “My password is ridiculously long. I know no one who would be able to do that.”

“But I always kept everything on my phone and cloud. Do you think Nel could have hacked into it? Or would it have to be somebody like… Do you think… Szayel?” Orihime didn’t have a reason to think that the pink haired man had it out for her, but there are motivations other than revenge. “Maybe somebody could have offered him something to do it?”

“What could anyone offer him? He’s gay and we were friendly. Would Michelle do it? Why is this happening to us? Everything was perfect.” 

“I dunno, money? Favors? I think absolutely Michelle and Nel have something to do with this. I wonder if I should talk to them; maybe try to act friendly and sympathetic?”

Ulquiorra didn’t know if this tactic would work on Michelle. He hadn’t exchanged a lot of words with the bitch. It would probably work on Nel because she was always one for gossip. “I have no clue, Veggs. You can try it. Maybe tell Nel that we’re broken up again? She might open up or let something slip if you say that. I don’t know if it will work.”

“It’s worth a shot, don’t you think? I think so. Do you think it will work better if I tell her you and Nemu are seeing each other? Or… Should I tell her you can’t stop talking about her? Which do you think would make her more receptive?”

The shudder that went through his body was one of disgust. He didn’t want to be associated with Nemu. “It might be. Like I said I don’t know. I’ve not talked to Nel in months.”

He didn’t exactly answer her questions. Oh well. Maybe it would be better to feel it out. “Okay. I will do what I can from here. In the meantime… Have you made any friends out there? What about Aaron and Ggio? Can you stay with them for awhile? Oh! Or, invite them to the beach house? Maybe they’d enjoy living it up and keeping a buffer between you and… you know. I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I don’t have anyone out here except my mother. I thought Nemu--There’s Nanao but… I don’t know. I just want everything to go back to a simpler fucking time.”

“Then come back. Just come back. I’ll pick you up. You can stay with me or your dad or Ivan. He fucking loves you and I don’t know why. It’s inexplicable,” she offered a small laugh. “Even if they make you come back it would get you away for awhile, right?”

Ulquiorra’s brows furrowed as he listened to her. “Tell Ivan I appreciate it, but I don’t swing that way. I mean if he was female, maybe, but his hair is too orange,” he said in a joking manner. There was no humor behind it. “I might ask my mom if I can stay with her for a couple of days. I’ll tell her what is going on. I want to see you when you get here, if I can.”

“Definitely. I’m going to talk to Kisuke. I’m not going to tell him what happened to you, unless you want me to, but I'm going to ask about Nemu and Aizen about how it relates to me. Maybe he knows something. Maybe he can help us. But he is setting me up with a car so we can meet easily without people knowing you’re going over to a competitor’s house.”

“Okay. I’m going to call my mom. I love you Orihime.”

“I love you, too. I’m so sorry this happened to you. Call me later, okay?”

“You know I will.”


	7. Digging for Dirt

Orihime had a busy week. She spoke with Kisuke on Monday, who told her that Aizen sometimes came to LA after he started his teaching position to make occasional albums or one-off recordings, often with Soul Society’s subsidiary, Seireitei. Aizen no longer worked on exclusive contracts because of his affiliation with OSU.

Kisuke further informed her that when Aizen would attend label social functions he always brought a date; often a young woman named Nemu. Kisuke felt that the woman was troubled and had heard some terrible rumors about her.

On Tuesday, Orihime made her move on Nel and Michelle. Her strategy had been to appeal first to Nel online and then make her presence known in the Fine Arts building. Just because she wasn’t a student anymore didn’t mean Michelle knew that, and Ichigo was more than willing to book practice room times for her to use. Her first contact with Nel had been fruitful:

VS00 

Hey... it happened. Again.

We met up in TX and now he wants nothing to do with me.

Jon kicked me out, too.

Back in Columbus. Wanna talk?

G333

Ouch, sorry to hear that happened.

He’s a selfish asshole.

My brother said Jon has pretty much kicked everyone out.

Steve’s gone and good riddance to him.

IDK, I’m pretty busy with classes and work.

VS00 

Oh? Where do you work?

I guess like father like son, eh?

Well I’m crashing at Grimmjow’s for now. Maybe we’ll run into each other.

Oh! By the way… Ulq could not stop comparing me to you. 

I don’t know what he is doing but clearly he’s stuck in the past.

G333

I work at a restaurant off campus. It’s decent money.

Clientele sucks. Businessmen who think they they can grope without consequence.

You’re Grimmjow’s guest? Hmmmm.

Sorry. I guess I’m unforgettable.

Maybe we can meet up in a couple of days. I have a day off coming up soon.

VS00 

Awesome. LMK 

Grimm and I are doing a late show at a place near Sado’s on Saturday. 

If you and Michelle are free you should come it’s all ages.

G333

You want Michelle to come?

Geez. After what she said and did? I mean…

She made people look like asses.

VS00 

Ooooh, gossip? What did she do?

Sorry I’m a bit drunk rn

But intrigued! Lol

I feel like we should be doing nails lmao 

G333

Well, she’s been messing around with Aizen.

She’s been giving him pics of people. Like she has some of you and Ichi. Hailey and Grimm.

They’re just hugs but she took pics anyway. 

It’s really creepy how she’s hung up on you. 

VS00 

Holy shit!

I thought I saw her and creepy ishida taking pics at the Winter Gala what a troll doll she is! 

And messing around with Aizen?! Eeeeeeeeew. 

I know he has that whole Josh Groban vibe but it’s like, old, evil JG.

Michelle can eat my ass 

Sounds like she might enjoy it too, lol.

G333

LOL

Michelle might take you up on the eating ass.

She’s totally weird. Like… creepy weird.

It makes sense she’s fucking Aizen.

They’re both strange.

She offered to me to have a threesome with them.

VS00

Would you? You don’t seem into older guys. At least not much older.

Michelle is such an opportunist. Come to think of it… 

She totally tried to throw you under the bus with the whole thing at Tier’s party, too. 

She told some music department people that it was all premeditated on your part

and that you told her to record it

and that you knew about Ulq’s record deal

and you were going to use the video to blackmail him.

G333

Uh, no. She wanted a chance with Ulq I told her good luck.

She wanted me to give him something to loosen him up.

I shouldn’t have listened to her. She wanted to fuck him.

Ulq’s okay but the baggage he carries around is heavy. I know this.

I’m okay with just fooling around with him… Rather I was.

I’ve not talked to him or touched him since he left.

VS00

What a ho.

I mean even if you were pissed you’d never blackmail your BFF.

Do you think…. Do you think she would press that story?

That’s f-d up but so is she. Does she have anything else on you?

...hmmm maybe a little snooping is in order??? 

G333

You can snoop. I can let you in our room. 

Kinda hoped she would drop out or join a sorority.

She didn’t. She LOVES college.

OFC she does bc she can be a ho.

Her parents are super religious and strict.

VS00

This is not a surprise.

When is she gone that I can come over?

I’m honestly a little scared to see what I’ll find but…

The crazy smell coming off of her could be smelled all the way from Austin.

G333

Yeah I heard what she said about Ulq.

Sure. She’s out of the room most nights.

Also I have Thursday off. So if you want to come over after my last class, feel free.

VS00

Sounds like a plan.

That Thursday evening, Orihime went over to Robinson and up to Nel’s room with a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans, cheesy snacks, and energy drinks. She knocked on the door and was greeted by her old nemesis. She smiled conspiratorially and held up the bag, saying, “I brought provisions.” She also had several USB storage sticks.

“Come in,” Nel said, as she opened the door wider. “You brought food? Are you trying to be my best friend?” she laughed.

“I don’t know if I would call this _food_ , per se, but it’s definitely edible,” Orihime said with a chuckle as she passed the bag to Nel. “Now that I’m not singing as much, I can eat this junk as much as I want.”

The teal-haired woman smiled and rifled through the bag before taking out a bag of espresso beans. “Just a warning, I get really hyper when I have caffeine,” Nel stated before she popped two of them into her mouth. “Wow these are good. Did--” She stopped talking so that she could actually eat the sweets. “Did you know I tried talking Jon into selling chocolate espresso treats in his shop?”

“Yeah, he’s still an anti. Says it’s a waste of good beans. What does he know?” Orihime laughed and cracked open an energy drink, looking around the room. “So, how’s second semester going? Any news?”

“Not really. It’s a drag. Having Ulq not around to copy math homework off is a pain in the ass. Tier said it’s a shame you left,” she replied. Nel sat down on her bed and crossed her legs, tucking her feet under her. Her dorm room looked like chaos. One side was her organized mess. Michelle’s side looked like a laundry hamper exploded. “Michelle’s stuff is over there.”

“Are you seeing anyone? Oh -- I stayed with your old friend Momo in Austin. She is hilarious.” Orihime asked before her eyes drifted over to the absent woman’s desk. “If appearances are anything to go by, her computer is going to be a mess. Does she use it a lot? Apparently the caffeine is already kicking in I can’t stay on one topic,” the redhead laughed.

Nel shook her head. “I was seeing this one guy but--” she waved a hand as if dismissing the thought. “Uh, she uses it to write stuff. I don’t know what she does on it really. Michelle is a mess. I ask her to keep her side of the room at least picked up.” Nel sighed.

“Looks like an uphill battle,” Orihime said as she sat at the computer chair and moved the mouse around. “Is it just me, or does Michelle kind of remind you from that chick from the movie _Mean Girls_ with brown hair who tried to get the word “fetch” to catch on?” Orihime tried not to squeal as Michelle’s desktop came into view. She didn’t lock her computer.

The other woman laughed. “Funny you mention that. She loves that movie and _Heathers_ … The new one, not the old classic. She was honestly okay at the beginning of the semester last year but now… She’s annoying. She’s rude. She’s delusional.”

“You mentioned Michelle had it out for me. Did she ever say anything to you about it?” Orihime asked after she discreetly set her phone on the desk, voice recorder app running, and popped a USB stick into Michelle’s computer tower.

“She asked me questions about you. Like how long have you and Ulq been talking. How could I allow him to slip out of my hands? Why didn’t I just kick your ass and be done with it? I told her that Ulq was his own person and he could make his own choices,” Nel replied. She sighed again. “Don’t get me wrong. I was hurt by the fact that he chose you over me but he’s happier with you and that’s okay.”

“It’s weird, because she never showed any outward interest in Ulquiorra at all. Bizarre. Is she still all about it or… Is she just the kind of girl who decides she doesn’t like someone and wants to bring them down? Because I’ll tell ya, that is how it feels. She has had it out for me from day one; _before_ I even started talking Ulquiorra. She ditched me for Tier’s party before that ever happened.”

Nel pursed her lips, as if she was unsure if she wanted to divulge this information. “Michelle told me that she really liked ObscurasIV’s music. And I was like, "I know him", and she became more interested in him. Well she saw the pics of me and Ulq. Her interest in the guy behind the guitar became more of a fame thing? She’s a name chaser, I guess. You’re right that she’s a social climber. She didn’t like you from the get-go. Oh look at that bitch with the pretty red hair. Look at how polished she is. Look at how perfect she always looks.”

Orihime raised an eyebrow as she brought up Michelle’s emails and searched for Aizen, herself and her aliases, and Ulquiorra, and started taking screenshots and saving them to the USB. “You’d think for someone as concerned with the way things look as you say she is, she wouldn’t be spending so much time around creepy Ishida,” Orihime chuckled.

“Ishida dropped her once he found out she was a slob. She cried over that for a couple of days.”

“Are you for real? He is so… Unappealing. Just like, unhuman.” Orihime frowned as she changed USB drives and looked back to Nel. “Are you going to stay on campus next year or get an apartment? I wouldn’t want to live with that Michelle girl anymore.”

Nel shook her head. “I might transfer to a different dorm but I kinda like living on campus. Pesche told me to stay a kid as long as possible and I plan to do just that.”

“It’s a luxury,” Orihime said, agreeing with Nel’s sentiment. She didn’t hold it against people that she had never been allowed to just be a regular kid. Well, she held it against Claire, but she didn’t begrudge others. And even though Orihime really, really disliked Nel, the green-haired woman still had lots of growing up to do. It was probably the right choice for her. She went to Michelle’s internet browser and searched the history, looking anything relevant. 

Nel watched from her bed. She didn’t say anything as she munched on the stuff the redhead bought. “So, uh, how is Ulq? He looked pretty rough around Valentine’s day.”

“Yeah? Did you talk to him? I didn’t see him around then. I stayed off social media, too.” Orihime turned to look at Nel as she waited for a laggy web page to load.

“Nah, I sent him a message on V Day with Pesche’s phone. I saw the pics he posted on Instagram. I just hope he’s okay, you know?” Nel chewed on her bottom lip. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

Orihime gave Nel a flat look. “Yes, you did. I’m not blaming you, but you did. You can’t move on until you face that, Nel.” Orihime backed off the pressure on her then and refocused on the computer. “I saw him in Austin. He was in a bad, bad way. Of course my heart went out to him, so I talked to him. He seemed to be doing a lot better by the time he left, though. I’m sure you saw the tabloids; apparently he just needed to get laid and he was suddenly all better,” Orihime affected a bitter tone to sell the idea that she had been used and thrown out.

“Ugh, that seems extreme even for him. I mean, I can see him doing that but still… What a dick move, Ulq, you know?” Nel shook her head. “Are you okay?”

“Of course not. I mean, I was already devastated by what happened the first time. Then he kept contacting me and then ignoring me. Then Austin. Did you see those videos I did with Hisagi? We were never together. He just works for Ulq’s dad, and so did I. Anyway, Ulquiorra saw the videos and freaked out. It’s like he just wanted to keep me alone while he makes out with some nasty…” Orihime let the word hang on purpose for a moment, hoping Nel would assume she meant her. “...old stylist. That chick is thirty-three.”

Hazel eyes scowled at Orihime until she finished her statement. “Oh wow. She’s that old? Dude, that’s like… ancient.”

“Right? If my mom was still alive she’d only be like nine years older than that. It’s gross.” Orihime couldn’t get into Michelle’s Instagram or texts. She had a Tumblr, but the messages seemed irrelevant and few. There had been more on her Facebook, but it wasn’t really relevant either.

“My mom had Pesche at a young age. I came along when she was nineteen, so she’s like almost forty? A little over that? I’m not sure. But there’s nothing wrong with Shuhei. He was so cute while we all were in school, although he’s like, older than me.” Nel offered a somewhat shy smile.

“Shuhei is great. Really a sweetheart. Questionable taste in tattoos. Gorgeous voice. I’m looking forward to when he’s off parole; a talent scout I met in Austin was asking about him. If he wants to, he can go places. If timing was different, I could have seen something developing between us. But as angry as I am with Ulquiorra, I’m not over him, and I am not the kind of person who can just hop around. I have to have him behind me before I can consider anyone else. It was kind of good timing, actually,” Orihime giggled. “We went down to Austin right as things were starting to get weird between me and Shu, and Momo was like, “I’m on it!” and literally, that is what she did. She is a legend.” Orihime kept talking as she found a folder labeled “chat logs” that had screenshots of texts and the Instagram messages she was looking for; they were mostly older ones between Gamuza3 and Michelle from first semester. Then she looked closer; there were newer messages between a user called TresGamz. Orihime knew what Tres meant. Shit. She had a third account. Orihime copied the entire file onto a usb without reading the rest of the contents. She didn’t want to be caught doing this. As soon as she was done she switched back to Facebook messages between Michelle and Ishida.

Nel knew what Orihime was doing, but she said nothing. “Are you finding stuff you can use against Aizen or whatever you wanted to snoop around on?”

“Nope. Not really. And even if I did, I don’t think any of this is admissible as evidence. I’m just trying to cover my ass, if possible. Although, I did find something that you can use against her.” She pulled up the messages between Michelle and Ishida from the day of the video with Nel and Ulquiorra and tilted the monitor in her direction. “She is totally throwing you under the bus.” She was, too. The messages between her and Ishida were scathing against Nel, accusing her of going to lengths to get the drugs she had used and how she had planned to get pregnant and how Nel had bragged that she was at peak fertility, and how Nel had begged her roommate to record everything to rub it in Orihime’s bitch face and to prove to Ulquiorra that he was the father. Orihime had taken screenshots of this message history before any of the others. “If you ever piss her off, she has contingencies. Whoa.”

“You act like I haven’t snooped through her messages or her computer. I know what’s in there, Orihime,” Nel stated. “I’m not dumb. I never wanted to get pregnant by Ulq. I don’t want kids.”

“Doesn’t it piss you off that she is telling people that though?” Orihime asked, closing the Facebook tab and deleting the browser history.

Nel held up her phone. “I have way worse text messages,” she replied.

Orihime smiled. “From her? Or about her?”

“Both,” Nel said. Her face was blank with her mouth forming a thin line.

“Yikes. What are you going to do?”

“Wait until Michelle tries anything and then expose her. It’s frowned upon to sleep with a teacher.”

Orihime smiled. “Well, you seem well insured. I pretty much got nothing here that I can see, besides this stuff between her and Ishida and some messages between her and you calling me a bitch. Not much I can do with those,” she chuckled. “There are a few emails between her and Aizen, but he was careful with his words. I don’t know what I expected. Oh well, got to eat junk food.”

Nel smiled. “I guess that’s a plus,” she said. “I’m sorry Ulquiorra was a dick to you. It seems a little harsh what he did.”

Orihime was a good actress when she was prepared. She had been on stage a lot. She could cry on cue. Not a fake cry, either. One where her eyes turned red around the rims and got wet and her nose got stuffy and she didn’t have a lot of tears. “Yeah, right?” she said, her voice just slightly lower than usual. Then she cleared her throat and blinked. The effect came on gradually. “I don’t know what it is about me, but he can’t seem to let it go, although he doesn’t want to hold onto it either.”

“Well let’s hope one of these days he gets his head out of his ass,” Nel said. Her phone chimed and she read the message that popped onto the screen. “Shit, Michelle’s on her way back already.”

Orihime had already finished cleaning her mess, wiped her eyes and then looked at Nel with kind of an amused expression. “What do you think about me staying and surprising her?”

Nel shrugged. “I would say okay, but I do have to live with her, and she bitches enough. I mean, if you want to stay, you’re more than welcome. But don’t be surprised when I pop up in your DMs bitching.”

Orihime laughed. “Okay, okay, fine. Enjoy the rest of the beans. I gotta go meet up with Ichigo and Grimm anyway. We need to rehearse for Saturday. Are you going to be able to come?”

“I might,” Nel said. “You still want me to bring Michelle along?”

“Whatever is fine. I’m used to haters. I’ll see you around regardless; I’m in Columbus for the time being.” Orihime let herself out, and waited in the hall for the elevator.

As soon as the door closed, Nel walked over to the bookshelf next to the desk where she had a camera set up. It had been pointed towards the computer Orihime had used. She said nothing as she stopped the video. If Vega was going to throw her under the bus, Nel would do the same thing. All she needed to do was edit a few things.

Instead of leaving the dorm, Orihime went to Ulquiorra’s old room and knocked on the door. A pink-haired man answered. “Did you install it?”

“Yes, you should know,” Orihime said.

“Sorry, I was busy doing something else. Your little espionage thing isn’t all that interesting to me.”

“Come on, please?” the redhead whined. Her nerves were frayed. She had been faking things all day long and she was tired of keeping her cool.

“Fine, come in and take a seat.” Szayel pulled up his home screen and tapped a few keys, and the webcam feed from Michelle’s computer came into view. Nel was standing there, looking at something offscreen.

  
“Clearly she wants to know what I was looking at,” Orihime said.

“Did you get anything while you were there?”

“Not really. Some facebook messages. Some Instagram messages. Some emails. Mostly I just installed the program.”

“Okay. I’ll leave this running. I’ll send your contact remote access. As soon as she goes into her shared google drive you should have what you’re looking for.”

“Thanks Szay. I owe you one.”

“Actually, I’ve been compensated. But my work here is done. I’ve got things to do, so if you’ll excuse me,” her boyfriend’s former roommate opened the door and let her out.

***

A week after the incident with Nemu, Ulquiorra sat in the therapist’s office. The doctor was a tiny lady who didn’t smile and she didn’t bullshit anyone as far as Ulquiorra could tell. “Did you tell anyone about this attack? You know this type of things happens all the time in this industry. Guys don’t talk about it because of toxic masculinity,” she said to him.

“I told my girlfriend, and my mom wants to talk to me in person about it. I didn’t want her advances. I just--When I was single, I kept teasing Nemu about us being together, but I was so hung up on Vega that I couldn’t. It makes me feel like I deserved it.”

“Mr. Cifer, no one deserves that. This Nemu is an adult, just like you. She should act like one. Have you done any research on her?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “Why?”

“Well most people would do research on a professional before they employed them. I think the next time you hire someone, perhaps you should research and read reviews.”

He narrowed his eyes at the woman. What was she saying? There seemed to be a hidden message in her words. “Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. How do I solve being lonely and this despair I feel?”

The doctor pursed her lips for a moment. “You said that you’re going to be staying with your mom right? After you two talk?”

He nodded.

“Well, you could always tag along with her to work or ask her if she knows anyone who is around your age that you can hang out with? You need to reach out to people, Ulquiorra. I know its not in your nature, but sometimes we need to be around people.”

Again his head moved up and down. “I’ll think about it.”

***

Nel didn’t show up to the show Grimmjow and Orihime played that Saturday, which was fine by Orihime. She was just there for fun at this point. She had gotten what she needed. 

Kisuke had only asked her to get the name of the computer guy and for her to make contact with Nel and somehow get into Michelle’s computer. He would take care of the rest. He didn’t even want her to know what he was doing.

In the meantime, she had found a bit of interesting information from the screenshots she had grabbed. Michelle and Nel certainly still seemed to be on good terms. Orihime rolled her eyes, glad she had recorded the entire conversation between her and Nel. Nel thought she was playing her.

She got a call from Kisuke on Sunday.

“Hime-chan, it’s Uncle Kisuke.”

“Hi, how are you?”

“Displeased. Pleased. My investment is starting to pay off, it seems,” the older man said with a dark undertone.

“Oh, how so?” Orihime asked. She was kind of worried.

“Your source finally logged into her shared drive. It is linked to accounts owned by Aizen and Nemu. There are shared media files and it appears Miss Michelle likes to keep logs of conversations she’s had. There has been a lot to sift through. I’m not sure what to do with this information; I’d like to sit on it for a while and consider it, but there is plenty here to drag names through the mud.”

Orihime hummed. “Is that even worth anything? It might be a bit satisfying in the short term, but in the long run...”

“Exactly. Give me more time. When you get here, we can look at it together and you can tell me what you think.”

“Thanks, Kisuke.”

“It’s my pleasure, sweet princess. Ta-ta.”

After she hung up with Kisuke, she called Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra felt his phone buzz and he held up a hand. The tattoo artist stopped what he was doing and the musician picked up his phone. “Hey Veggs. I’m kind of busy right now,” he said.

“Okay, call me back when you’re free.”

“Well If you want to hear me get a tattoo, I think he’s almost done, right?” Ulquiorra looked at the guy who was currently waiting for him. The artist nodded. “Or I can take a break. What’s up?”

“I can wait ‘til you’re done. I just got off the phone with Kisuke. Call me when you’re done and show me what you got!” she was excited. He had refused to tell her what the new tattoo was.

“You’re going to hate it,” Ulquiorra stated. “I’ll call you back as soon as he’s done, okay?”

“Okay, bye.” She hung up feeling her stomach drop. Why would he get a tattoo he knew she’d hate?

About fifteen minutes later, Ulquiorra called her back. He was sitting in his car in the parking lot of a grocery store, trying not to wince every time he shifted his arm.

“Hello? You’re done already?”

He chuckled. “I told you the guy was almost done. He had to spray it off and look at it. I don’t get color in my ink, so it didn’t take long. How are you today?”

“Alright, I guess. Apparently Kisuke has what he needs. Also, Nel is still trying to incriminate me. So not a lot new there. Show me this tattoo. Switch to video!” she demanded with a laugh.

He did as she asked and switched to Facetime. Ulquiorra stared at the camera. “You’re going to think it’s lame,” he whined. “How did Nel take the bait?”

“Not easily. She had set up a nanny cam to record everything I did on the computer, so I can’t use anything I took without incriminating myself. Still, knowledge is power. And I recorded our entire conversation. She said she isn’t friends with Michelle anymore, but her new Instagram account suggests otherwise. Beware of TresGamz; that’s her. And you look cute today,” she said with a small smile.

TresGamz? What a lame screen name and why the fuck would she need another one? He decided to push the worries about Nel and everything else to the side. “Thank you; you look cute too.”

She blushed a little and widened her smile. “Okay, so show me this tattoo that I’m going to hate.”

Ulquiorra pulled up the sleeve of his t-shirt and then pointed the phone at his forearm. It was silly, but he had gotten a lyre tattooed on him with plans on putting an eagle on his other arm. “Well?”

“Why would I hate that? It’s pretty! But why a lyre? It’s a lyre, not a harp, right?”

“It’s a lyre for Vega.”

Orihime’s breath caught in her throat and her fingers covered her open mouth. It took a second or two for her to really understand what he had done. “Ulquiorra…” she whispered as the lining of her nose started to tingle and her vision swam at the edges.

Great. She disliked it so much that he made her cry. “Hey, it’s okay. I can always either get it covered up or removed if you hate it. Don’t cry. I just wanted… I just wanted something that stated I was yours.”

She shook her head back and forth quickly. “No, no. I love it. I… Ulquiorra,” she kind of whined his name. “I love it. Thank you,” she said and hiccuped on more tears. She was moved.

“You like it? For real?” He asked. Ulquiorra was confused, though. Why would she cry if she liked it?

She nodded and answered, “Mmhmm. I never… I love you so much. This is just…” She blew out a quick breath and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t know you would want to get something that permanent on you that linked us.”

“Orihime, c’mon, you’re my best friend. You’re my girlfriend. You’re the one that I gave my heart to,” Ulquiorra said bringing the phone back up to his face. “I can’t wait until you’re out here and we can hang out and watch movies. We can swim and go to the beach. We can sing together again.”

Her bottom lip wobbled and she swallowed a couple sobs before she could reply. “Me either. I miss you so much.”

“How many days until you get here?”

“Um, four. I’ll be there on Thursday.” 

“When will I get to see you?” Ulquiorra was fighting his own emotions, wanting to spill his heart out to her. He couldn’t, though. Not here; not in public.

“Whenever you can. I’m just going to get situated for the first couple of days. I’m not planning on doing much until April.”

“Come see me on Friday or Saturday?” Ulquiorra could not wait. He smiled at the phone. Just seeing Orihime brought him happiness. He didn’t know if he could go through this without her. “We can get some Chinese food and watch a Harry Potter movie.”

“Sleepover? Do you have space in your garage to hide a Range Rover?” she asked with a watery smile.

Ulquiorra scoffed. “I thought this guy was getting you a practical vehicle? That doesn’t sound very practical at all. I drive an Acura, there’s room. It’s a four car garage.”

She laughed. “He wanted it to go glamping. Their other cars are convertibles and sports cars. The rover _is_ practical. He acts and dresses really unassumingly… But you’re not going to believe his house if you ever see it.”

“That guy looked like a bum,” he stated and shook his head. “Maybe I’ll visit one of these days and see how large you’re living.”

She laughed. “It’s only temporary. I have to keep reminding myself that so I don’t get spoiled.” She sighed then and smiled, her crying calmed down. “Four days then, until I see you.”

He nodded. “Love you, Veggs. I uh, talked to the therapist.”

“How did it go? Can you tell me what you talked about?”

Ulquiorra had to take a deep breath. “I told her what happened with Nemu. I told her how the music festival went. She asked how I was doing physically and mentally. I told her about you and I. She’s a straightforward doc.”

“What was her take on it?”

“Reach out to others if I need help. Find some friends.”

Orihime nodded. “Just be careful. You know that by now, though.”

He nodded back. “My mom has to have some friends who have kids my age. There has to be someone out here I can trust. I don’t want to hang out with Aaron or Ggio because they’re older than me. I can’t go to clubs and bars.”

Orihime nodded. “Maybe you can take a class at college or something and meet someone more your speed? Someone not in the industry?”

“That’s what I was thinking, but it would have to be after the tour is over, the class thing. I was thinking of going back to school after it’s over,” Ulquiorra said and then pursed his mouth. “I don’t know, though. I don’t want to be around people because of what happened. I know my mom would protect me. She seems to have that much maternal sense. I know my dad would do anything for me. I trust you.”

Orihime’s heart ached for him. She knew how he felt too well. “I understand. You know, I was looking into the area when you first were talking about bringing me with you. There were some local colleges that do one-off seminars and short seminar series that I was looking into… Maybe something like that would fit into your lifestyle. But if you can’t branch out for now, you know you can call me any time. Day or night. Right?”

“I know you probably won’t believe this, but I always wanted you out here with me. I just wanted some time to get things settled. But then everything happened and--” Ulquiorra shut up and then sighed.

“Have you talked to your therapist about that, yet? Because there are some things about that that need to be addressed.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. I’m not sure how to bring it up. I’m a mess when it comes to that.”

Orihime smiled. “You pay her. Just write her a list. A list of “shit I need to deal with”. She can decide how to bring it up. At least try it and if she doesn’t address it in due time, then get another therapist,” she laughed. She had decided to trust Ulquiorra and work toward being with him with an open heart, but she hadn’t forgotten anything. She certainly hadn’t forgiven it either. She wouldn’t be able to let it go completely until Ulquiorra dealt with it. It was going to keep coming between them if he let it get swept under the rug.

“You’re right. That’s a good idea. I could write down all the issues I had at that time and then just go over them with her,” he said. Another sigh left him but it was more of a noise of content. Weight lifted off of his shoulders. “Thank you, Orihime.”

“What for? I didn’t do anything,” she said with a confused smile.

A chuckle left him. “You do everything you can for me. I appreciate it. You may not think you do anything, but you do.”

She shrugged. She still didn’t get it. “What do you have going on for the rest of this week? I have to ship my stuff and go to the DMV with Grimmjow because I don’t trust him to properly transfer the van title unless I am there. I’m going to play with Ichigo for old time’s sake at Sado’s. It’s a lunch slot so nobody is going to be there. It’s going to all be “Girl from Ipanema” bossa nova coffee house stuff,” she chuckled.

Ulquiorra shrugged. “Um, I’ve got a meeting with the producers of the album. Then we have a photoshoot with the outfits that… that…” He couldn’t say that stylist’s name. “We have a photoshoot with our costumes and that’s about it. Oh I’ve got to go grocery shopping.”

“You told your mom about what happened, properly, right? She’s not going to let you be alone with her? Keep Nanao close, okay?”

“I didn’t tell her yet. I was supposed to go to lunch with her, but she mentioned Nem and I kinda had an attack. I’m supposed to go to her house to stay for a couple of days. I told her a short version of what happened,” Ulquiorra replied.

Orihime pursed her lips and nodded. “Make sure you do. If you need moral support just call me. And remember that there is absolutely no reason you need to be alone with her. None. If she tries to manipulate a situation just leave. I know the label is pushing you to work with her but you have Nanao and there is no reason you need to be alone with the stylist. There never was.”

He nodded. “I know that,” Ulquiorra said. “I don’t plan on being alone with her again. I can’t let this get to me though or else I’m going to be going through the same thing I went through with Nel.”

Orihime furrowed her brows. She didn’t know what he meant. Still, he had just said he didn’t want this to get to him, so she was hesitant to ask. Her head tilted to the side and said nothing.

“I kept thinking it was my fault, and it was my fault up to a point,” he explained. He pushed his hand against his face and then looked out the driver side window. “Nel should have stopped after I passed out.”

Orihime narrowed her eyes at that. Nel had denied what Michelle had written about her to Ishida, but she didn’t believe her. Even if she didn’t want a baby, she was still trying to trap Ulquiorra. And honestly, Orihime would not put it past Nel to fake a pregnancy. “The more I find out about her, the happier I am that Ichigo brought me down there. I may have been the one who stopped it, but I would have never been there if he hadn’t been looking out for you,” Orihime pressed her eyes closed tightly for a moment as the memory of that night assaulted her mind again. “You don’t even want to know what Michelle said Nel was planning.”

Ulquiorra’s brow rose. “What was she planning?” he asked. “I may not want to know, but I still want to know. Kinda. Maybe. Is it bad?”

“It was really, really bad. Nel denied it. I don’t know. I don’t trust her at all.”

“Tell me.”

“Michelle said this to Ishida. Nel told me she knew that Michelle did this and Nel denied it, so bear that in mind. I’ll send you the screenshot. I don’t think you want to hear this from my mouth.”

Orihime took the phone away from her face and found the screen shot that she had saved to her phone. She had made backups of the shots she thought were especially relevant or incriminating. “Sent,” she said after a moment.

Uryu Ishida

What is the appeal, even? I mean, your roommate, Inoue… What is it about that guy?

Michelle (Shellzville) Smith

IDFK. Tragic fix-me face? It doesn’t do anything for me.

At least the singing bitch hasn’t gone off the deep end like Nel. Hole E. Shit.

Uryu Ishida

What do you mean, the deep end? What did she do?

Michelle (Shellzville) Smith

It’s not what she did, it’s what she’s planning. She is trying to trap him so he can’t leave her.

She’s got it all set up.

Too bad you won’t be there to see it, although she has asked me to film it for some reason.

Kinky ho.

Uryu Ishida

You don’t mean what I think you mean, do you?

Michelle (Shellzville) Smith

Oh yeah. She bought ovulation sticks and everything. Apparently the time is ripe.

She is going to get him drunk and if that doesn’t work she’s going to drug him

Have him knock her up.

That will tear him away from that redheaded whore once and for all.

Uryu Ishida

That’s a bad plan for lots of reasons

But… even if the timing is right, her chances of getting pregnant from one time isn’t very high

I’m taking Human Sexual Biology. Even at peak fertility it’s just over 50%

Michelle (Shellzville) Smith

Dude - she doesn’t even really want a kid.

She just wants to break them up.

So even if it doesn’t work she can pretend she’s pregnant for long enough for that to happen.

That was where the screenshot ended. Orihime waited for Ulquiorra’s reaction, already regretting showing him, but also realizing it wasn’t her secret to keep.

Ulquiorra swallowed, feeling bile rise in his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to believe that Nel, someone he’d spent a lot of his life with, would do that to him. The proof was staring him in the face. “I’m sorry I doubted you,” he said quietly.

She didn’t understand. “Like I said, Nel denies this. She said Michelle was just trying to throw her under the bus. Still, I don’t know it; is all too suspicious. And, at the end of the day, it didn’t play out that way. What do you need to apologize to me for?”

“Because I doubted you. I thought Nel would never do anything like this to me. I don’t believe anyone from that school except for you and Ivan,” Ulquiorra said.

“I’m sorry,” Orihime said. It gave her no pleasure to see him like this. This was not a situation where being right was a good thing. There was nothing good about it.

He just shook his head. “I’ll call you later or tomorrow. I’m going to get this stuff done so that I can get back home. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

***

Orihime didn’t hear from Ulquiorra that night. She texted him before she went to bed and wished him goodnight and apologized again for being the bearer of bad news, and after he wrote back with just a heart emoji she went to bed.

The next day she took care of the transfer of title to Grimmjow. He had given her the money to pay off the loan the previous Wednesday and it had gone through her account and she had paid off her lender and received proof of release of lien and they took it all to the Department of Motor Vehicles together. They didn’t talk to each other much as they waited; apart from music and Ichigo, they didn’t have much in common.

After that bit of business was completed, she went to the Fine Arts building to practice with Ichigo. Of course she ran into Michelle.

“Oh, what are _you_ doing here, _Vega_? You aren’t a student.” Michelle said Orihime’s alias like it was some kind of farcical codename.

“Oh, it’s you… what was it? Stephanie? Syphilis? Mono-- Oh yeah, Michelle. No, I’m not a student. I’m practicing on invitation of Ichigo. What are you doing here? Your boyfriend is still on administrative leave, isn’t he?”

Michelle’s face turned the color of a tomato, and she scrunched it up, trying not to react to Orihime’s taunts. “Uryu is studying abroad this semester--”

“I meant Dr. Aizen. You’re together, right? You wouldn’t just give him sexual favors without a commitment, right?” Orihime asked in a loud whisper. Heads in the lobby turned, unsure about what they might have heard.

Michelle’s mouth fell open and then shut. “You slut. You’re just here to fuck Ichigo anyway, now that you don’t have Sousuke and Obscuras here to suck off,” she said, plenty loud enough to be heard.

“Ahem,” a deep voice cleared itself behind Michelle and the color drained from her face as she turned around to look into a scary-faced Ichigo.

“That’s rich, Michelle. How many times have most of the people in this room heard you get wasted and brag about your conquests at Tier’s, before you got kicked out of the big kids’ club? Orihime and I have never had, and will never have, a physical relationship. She’s a bit of a prude,” he looked over the brunette’s head and gave Orihime an apologetic smile. “But I can understand your confusion. It must be hard to see the truth with a face full of Aizen’s dick all the time.”

“I do _not_ \--” Michelle started, absolutely livid. How dare these two! After all the work she had done to create this slanderous story about Orihime, and they thought they were going to just turn the tables on her? Oh no, not today. 

She was going to clear her name until Ichigo bent down, put his mouth near her ear and murmured, “Careful. There are pictures. Screenshots. Recordings. You know all those girls you screwed by smearing their reputations and getting their lawsuit against Aizen thrown out? Well, they had put surveillance in his studio. In his preferred practice rooms. On the reserved parking sign where he parked his car. They had been building a case against him, too. You blew that for them. Those pictures are useless against Aizen. But against you…”

“You wouldn’t!” Michelle hissed, looking between Ichigo and Orihime.

“No, I didn’t. Neither did she,” Ichigo announced in a casual tone as he straightened up. “My girlfriend and her friends had attorney’s fees to pay, though, so they sold the files.”

Michelle’s eyes went wide for a second, her face exposing the cold fear that went through her at the idea. She recovered after a beat and affected an unimpressed facade, crossing her arms over her chest and laughing. “Yeah right. There are no files. Besides, even if there was, nobody would pay anything for them.”

“Oh yeah? You may want to ask your roommate what was in those files that was worth two thousand dollars. Anyway, gotta go, Shellzville. The practice room awaits,” Ichigo said with a grin before leading the way up the stairs, leaving Michelle standing frozen in the lobby.

“What do you mean, Nel has the files?! Why didn’t you tell me? I could use those! Why wouldn’t Hailey turn them over to the attorney!?” Orihime whispered as she reached Ichigo on the way up to the second floor.

Ichigo chuckled. “There are no files. I was bluffing. She just confirmed that she’s guilty though.”

Orihime nodded and then her eyes widened. “Ichigo! You also just managed to turn her and Nel against each other!”

He grinned. “Well, imagine that. Come on, Hime. Let’s practice.”

***

Ulquiorra sat across from his mother at a private room in some bistro. She made these reservations and Ulq bailed on her the first time. “Mom,” he said.

Maria looked tired. She looked every bit of her forty-two years of age. She had dark circles under her eyes and he could see the fine lines around her mouth. “Ulquiorra,” she mumbled, taking a sip of water.

“Nemu talk to you?”

The blonde woman shook her head. “No, we got the concept designs from her and prototype costumes and that was it. What you’re telling me--”

Ulquiorra scoffed. “She put her hands on me without my permission. She continued to touch me when I said stop. After I told her to leave she continued--”

Maria held up a hand then nodded. “You realize these allegations are serious. Nemu has been in the industry a long time. Nemu… she has problems.”

“No shit.”

“Excuse me!”

He shook his head. “There has to be a story behind that woman.”

“There is.” Maria looked troubled for a moment. “Nemu was one of the reasons why your dad left me.”

“What? Why would dad sleep with another--” Oh. Maria’s face was turning red. It wasn’t his dad who had been sleeping around. “You’re a lesbian?”

“No; Nemu got close to me. She was married to a recording artist that is currently serving a life sentence. Mayuri was really possessive.”

Ulquiorra scowled. He remembered that name for some reason. “I was nine when he was in the news. What happened?”

Maria sighed loudly. “I don’t want to tell you.”

“Come the fuck on. I got sexually assaulted by this bitch, and you want to protect her? What kind of mother are you?” Ulquiorra snapped.

“Your dad left because I didn’t like men at that time in my life. He took you because I wanted to live my life! I was with Nemu for a couple of years. Mayuri got mad. He took off with Nemu. He carved her up.”

Bile rose in his throat as he realized what his mother was talking about. “The scars,” he stated. Then shook his head. Gross. His mother was with this crazy ass bitch and she wanted--Ewww. Ulquiorra shuddered with a sudden wave of nausea overtaking him. His appetite was gone.

“The scars. She has them around her arms, her legs and her throat. Mayuri was going to cut off her limbs and her head--”

“I don’t care about Nemu’s pity party. She’s disgusting. You don’t see a problem with what she did?” he asked. “Do you not get it?”

“I get it! Nemu was almost dead when the cops got there! Espada--”

Ulquiorra wasn’t going to give his mother an inch. “You know she has a video of that incident. A doctored video. If she releases it, it’s going to be a blow to the label.”

“She won’t. She makes threats like that to people. She can’t say anything. She is our main stylist. It was part of the lawsuit. Mayuri was a part of Espada Records. In order to keep everything hush-hush, we gave her the pick of our artists. Anyone she wanted. She just had to keep quiet about things.”

“Bullshit! She released the tape from my hotel room in Austin to a tabloid!” Ulquiorra pointed at his mother with a sneer on his face. “You’re letting her do this to people? You just let her walk all over the people under your thumb? Threatening them and practically raping them?”

“This happens all the time… Look at what actors go through--” 

Once again Ulquiorra cut her off. This time his fist came down on the table. “I will walk right now. I will take my shit and I will leave. I will make sure you’re out of a fucking job. Do something about this, Maria.”

Maria nodded. “I’ve already spoken to Nemu. I’ve spoken to Gin and to Tosen. You’ll have a new stylist out on the road. Lilynette is young but she knows her stuff, or there is Riruka. She’s about your age, maybe a bit older.”

“Whatever; I just want Nemu gone. She’s sick in the fucking head, Mom. She really is,” Ulquiorra said. “I can see why you’d be attracted to her. Crazy attracts crazy.”

Pain blossomed over his face and Ulquiorra turned his head back to his mother. She was holding her hand. “Did you--Did you just slap me?”

Maria threw her chin up and her shoulders back. “Listen to me and please listen carefully. I will only say this once. Your father realized he liked men. I realized I had more interest in women. We realized we made a mistake, but we had you to think about. We tried to make it work but it never panned out. Yes, I was with Nemu, but I am not interested in sex; I’m what you call… Asexual.”

Well that explained a lot, Ulquiorra thought.

“Still, what she did was wrong. It will be addressed. Nemu won’t be coming around you anymore.” Maria huffed and Ulquiorra could tell she was trying not to cry.

“I want a restraining order.”

His mother took a sip of water before she answered. “I’ll see what we can manage. She has obviously messed with the wrong person this time. I have enough sense to protect you from anyone who wants to harm you.”

“I mean it. I do not--”

“Ulquiorra. I know. I’ll set up meetings with the other two stylist. We have Nemu’s instructions and her pictures--”

“You have pictures? What kind of pictures?”

She tilted her head and looked at him, confused. “We have several reference photos that she took. They were done in the beach house. Then there will be photos from the photoshoot that you have tomorrow. I’ll tell Gin to bring them in when you guys are ready for them so you can meet them.”

Once again his stomach soured. He didn’t want to see what reference photos his mother was talking about. “I have to go, Mom. I can’t--”

“You do look sick.”

“I feel sick. I’ll talk or see you later.”

“Are you still going to be staying with me until Friday?” Maria asked.

“No, I’ll be fine. Just make sure she stays away from me.”

***

Orihime was starting to get worried. She hadn’t heard from Ulquiorra beyond a one-word text in forty-eight hours. She decided to try again on Tuesday morning as she and Ichigo set up at Sado’s. She took a selfie of her standing on the stage with Ichigo sitting on a piano bench making a silly face a few feet behind her and sent it to him with a message.

  * Kind of brings back memories, doesn’t it? 



Ulquiorra saw the text and smiled. He was in bed, still sick to his stomach. He was dreading the fact that in a couple of hours he had to get out of bed and go to the studio to do this photoshoot. Nanao would be picking him up. 

He decided to stop the radio silence and took a picture of himself laying in the bed. It was a half-decent selfie.

\- Tell Ivan hi and that he should come to visit. He can stay with me. Lol. You doing okay?

She told Ichigo what Ulquiorra said. “Tell him I will hold him to it. Semester ends in May.”

“He might be on tour then,” Orihime advised with a chuckle.

“I don’t care. He has to come back sometime.”

Orihime laughed and texted Ulquiorra back.

  * You don’t know what you asked for. Ivan is going to hold you to it and already has his calendar out. I’m doing okay. Missed you.



A small smile crossed his face for a brief moment.

\- I leave on tour April 15th. Will be back around June 10th. I missed you too. I’ve decided to cut my mother out of my life. She’s insane and needs a good dousing of holy water. <3

Orihime nodded to herself. She didn’t have a lot of first-hand experience, but everything she knew about Maria Cifer pointed to the same conclusion Ulquiorra had arrived at.

  * Can’t say I blame you. I think Ichigo is already booking his ticket. After this show I only have packing to do and then it’s sayonara Ohio. I’m nervous and excited. I’m in the green room now. Remember what you told me in here?



His brain tried to recall what he said to her, but the only thing he could come up with was the memory of him saying that he loved her. Was that the same time?

\- I love you?

She smiled.

  * Yep. The first time was in this room. I always thought we would play here again. Maybe in another life. <3 



Wow, he remembered correctly. He had to grin at that. 

\- Maybe on our one year anniversary?

Orihime smiled at her phone in confusion.

  * when is that?



\- March 1st? Or September 5th? Up to you.

She shook her head. 

  * Okay, we can decide later. Gotta go on stage. I asked Chad to record a bit and tag me on IG so check it out later. Love you.



Ulquiorra decided now was a great time to get out of bed. Once he was vertical he texted her back. 

\- Good luck. I’ll talk to you later.

The show went well. It was nice and quiet, as Orihime predicted. She hadn’t dressed up much for it. After it was over, Ichigo helped her pack whatever she wasn’t leaving behind for him or Grimm and brought the rest to a donation center and to the parcel courier that Kisuke had an account with to ship the stuff she was keeping but wouldn’t fit inside her luggage. She only had to wait around for a couple more days and she would be there.

***

In the end, Ulquiorra picked the bitchy, loudmouth, raspberry-color-haired woman to be the stylist. The other female looked too young to even be out of school. They both were bossy, but Ulquiorra felt like the one named Riruka would get shit done. She wasn’t quiet as a mouse and he could hear her coming from a mile away. She yelled a lot.

He was fine with yelling.  
  


She was giving him the third degree about his tattoos, though. “Stupid choices! Who gets an X tattooed on them? Who gets Roman numerals tattooed on them? What is that harp thing?”

Ulquiorra didn’t even try to explain as he left the room. He gave his mother a thumbs up and then got into the car with Nanao. They rode in silence until she was close to the beach house. “Are you going to see Orihime when she gets in or what are you doing?”

“I’ll probably spend Friday with her, maybe Saturday. I don’t really know. She’s probably going to be busy getting settled in.”

“You’re not going to leave her, are you?”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Ulquiorra said. “Has my Instagram account gotten any messages from a TresGamz?”

Nanao nodded. “I deleted them. Whoever it is sends you racy pics. We’re talking pics of herself in lingerie. Whoever it is has tealish-green hair.”

“Block them, please.”


	8. Los Angeles Welcomes You

Orihime cried when she hugged Ichigo goodbye. Without really trying -in fact, despite often being at odds with one another- he had managed to become one of the best friends she had ever had in her life, second only to Ulquiorra. She didn’t even have to ask him for a ride to the airport. He just assumed he’d drop her off.

“Now, don’t let anybody push you around out there, okay?” Ichigo said, holding her at arm’s length by the shoulders so she wouldn’t start cry-hugging him again.

She wiped her eyes and nodded.

“And Hailey is starting to come back around. I explained everything to her and she understands… She’s just still really disappointed. She’s sorry she took it out on you, though.”

  
Another teary nod.

“C’mon, Hime. This isn’t goodbye. I’m deadly serious about becoming your boyfriend’s poolboy for a summer. It sounds awesome. I can work on my tan and be lazy and have jam sessions. Take a break from my significant others; just be me for a while.”

Again, another teary nod.

“Aw, stop it,” Ichigo said, pulling the short woman in for one more hug before turning her around and pushing her toward the security gate. “Go leave this cesspool behind. Best of luck, Orihime!”

“Thank you for everything, Ichigo! I’ll miss you!” she said over her shoulder, before turning her head toward the terminal. She didn’t look back.

Her flight to Los Angeles was fine. She went through her pictures on her phone and fell asleep for a bit. A little over five hours later she took her phone off airplane mode, deboarded, and when she got her luggage and walked toward the exit of the baggage claim area she was greeted by a sign that had her name on it. She peeked over the top of the placard, which was quite something given her own short stature, to see the top of an even shorter woman’s head. “I’m Orihime Inoue,” she said.

“Ah! Oh. You’re here!” the woman with short black hair said, clearly flustered as she moved the sign away from her face. Despite her small size and dainty appearance, she had a rather masculine way about her; as if she were raised with all brothers. She spoke with a forced low pitch and unnecessarily assertive tone, despite her fumbling. 

“Yes, I just arrived. Did Kisuke send you?” Orihime asked, trying to redirect the woman’s chaotic reaction. 

“Yes. Sorry; I had just been making a mental list of things I needed to get done today. My name is Rukia Kuchiki, and I work for Soul Society Music Group as a personal assistant to Mr. Urahara, Ms. Shihouin, and now you, Ms. Inoue.”

“Oh, please, call me Orihime.”

Rukia smiled and nodded. “Can I take your bag, Orihime?”

Orihime allowed the tiny woman to take her carry-on bag while Orihime pulled her wheeled suitcase behind her.

“I’ll take you directly to the Urahara/Shihoin residence and get you set up in the pool house. They are expected back this evening and have invited you to have dinner with them in the main house. Mr. Urahara wanted to pick you up himself, but there was an emergency.”

“Oh, I hope it wasn’t anything too serious,” Orihime said, worried. 

“No, no, a recording artist got in a fight with her band and they needed to smooth some things over, and then my brother was trying to make a deal that needed some Urahara charm to seal it.”

“Your brother works for Soul Society too?”

“Yes, he is a junior talent developer. He just got promoted from talent coordinator. Honestly I think he’s better suited to administration, but I’m not the boss. Anyway, do you have anything you want to do these first couple of days? I am at your disposal for the most part.”

“Oh, no, actually, I have tentative plans to meet my boyfriend tomorrow. He lives out in Laguna Beach. I may or may not stay until Saturday…”

Rukia unlocked the doors to a nice white sedan and put Orihime’s carry-on in the trunk before displaying her palms. “You’re not obligated to explain to me, I just want to be sure I’m available if you need me. You’re not expected to do anything until after the first of the month anyway. I believe Mr. Urahara plans on introducing you to Hanataro. He is the one who will contact you with session singing opportunities. You’ll like him; he’s sweet.”

“Okay,” Orihime said. She was overwhelmed with all this new information, especially since the only thing that was really on her mind was that she was going to meet Ulquiorra tomorrow. That is, if he still wanted her there. He had been kind of stand-offish this week. She shook her head, determined not to let negativity get her down.

“Okay, it’s about a forty-minute drive from here to the residence, so feel free to make any calls or whatever. If you get bored, you can ask me anything,” Rukia said as she got into the driver’s seat.

“Thanks. I just have to send a text, for now,” Orihime replied, before getting into the passenger seat, buckling her seatbelt and texting Ulquiorra.

  * I’m here!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m being driven to Kisuke’s house now. <3



***

Ulquiorra was doing laps in that heated pool when his phone chimed. He sighed as he swam over to the ladder and got out. Sure it was in the low seventies, but there was still a chill in the air. He quickly grabbed his robe and threw it on before slipping on his flip flops. He grabbed his phone as the biggest smile broke out over his face, going inside.

\- Fuck yes! Hopefully you’re going to love it out here. It’s nice if you don’t mind people and traffic. I’ll see you tomorrow? Maybe in the morning?

After he texted his girlfriend, Ulquiorra took a quick shower. He got dressed in a pair of jeans and a green shirt with some kind of white graphic printed onto it. Excited would be an understatement as he walked into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He was practically vibrating with happiness.

Orihime still had about half of the drive in front of her when she got his message. She smiled, encouraged by his enthusiasm.

  * Morning works. What time do you want me? :D



\- Anytime? All the time? Early as possible? Tonight? 

Ulquiorra chuckled as he got himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the island. He was so pathetic when it came to Orihime. She probably thought he was desperate.

She grinned. She had been worried for nothing. Of course he wanted to see her. 

  * Well, I have to have dinner with my hosts tonight; they had a work emergency so I got picked up by their assistant. She seems nice. A little odd, but nice. I would say I would come over after dinner but who knows how late it is going to go and I don’t want to disappoint you, so let’s plan on tomorrow morning. 10 am. Plan?



He sighed and tried not to frown at her return message. She probably had other obligations while out here. She wasn’t out here for just him anymore. Urahara was probably going to put her to work doing things or singing. 

\- 10 sounds okay. :)

  * Is 9 better? ;) Also, are you busy today? Can I spam you with pics of this new place?



His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. He wanted to jump into his car and drive to Beverly Hills. He ate his cereal and washed the bowl out before he replied.

\- not busy at all until Monday. Any time is okay and yes. 

Orihime smiled. “Hey Rukia, do you mind if I take a picture with you?”

“What? Okay…” she answered tentatively. They were in heavy traffic at the moment and not going anywhere. Orihime leaned toward the driver and smiled, pointing the camera at them. 

“Say cheese!” she said, taking the photo. She looked at it and chuckled. Rukia’s face was funny; a small, uncomfortable smile and worried eyes. She attached it to another text to Ulquiorra.

  * The first of many. This is Rukia. She usually doesn’t look this weird, lol.



Ulquiorra’s brows furrowed as he looked at the photos. 

\- Why is a kid driving you around? How short is she? You’re tiny. I can’t imagine people smaller than you. You two look cute together.

Orihime giggled. “Hey, Rukia, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-four. You?”

“Nineteen.”

Rukia simply nodded and refocused on traffic which had started moving.

  * She is not a kid, she’s 24. We are cute, aren’t we? She’s like, four or five inches shorter than me.



\- TINY. Midget. You two are cute together. No ideas though. You’re mine… You’re not interested in her are you? JK. I could… drive up…?

What on earth was he talking about?

  * You are more than welcome to drive up! I would love that. But… WTH are you talking about, “no ideas?” 



Ulquiorra tapped her name and put the phone up to his ear. He was joking but she probably didn’t get it.

“Hi!” She answered in an exuberant lilt.

“Hey Veggs. I was joking about the ideas thing,” Ulquiorra replied. “Don’t get upset. I was merely kidding around.”

“I’m not upset… I didn’t get it. What did you mean?”

He smiled as he grabbed his stuff and went out to the garage. “You told me when we first got together that you did stuff with other females,” Ulquiorra teased. “So where in BH am I going?”

She blushed but otherwise ignored his comment about her experience with other girls. “I’ll send you the address. Are you really coming?!” She was grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, Orihime. I’m getting in my car now.” As if to prove a point, Ulquiorra started the car and opened the garage door. The only sound that could really be heard was the beeping the car did. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours depending on traffic. I can help you unpack.”

“Okay! Oh my god, I’m so excited!” She paused to squeal a tiny bit. “Okay, drive safely. I’m sending the address. I love you!”

“I love you too; see you soon.”

***

Traffic was a bitch. Ulquiorra hated being in traffic. He looked at the house with it’s modern angles. It was kind of intimidating, but since it was on a cul-de-sac, he didn’t feel the need to pull into the driveway. He parked his car and got out, locking it with his keyfob. He took a deep breath before texting the redhead.

\- I’m here. This place is… Big.

“Rukia! He’s here!”

“Tell him to buzz so I can let him in,” the assistant answered as they were opening windows in the guest house. The weather was gorgeous.

  * Hit the buzzer and Rukia will let you in.



Ulquiorra walked up to what looked to be a glass gate. Looking at the panels, he found the buzzer, pressed it, and waited. He was nervous. He hadn’t seen Orihime in a couple of weeks. He just had to remain calm.

A deep woman’s voice came through the speaker, minimally distorted. “Name?” Orihime was already on her way down to the door. She’d meet him out in the walkway.

“Ulquiorra Cifer? I’m here to see Orihime Inoue.”

Rukia was usually very straightforward and uncomplicated, but she had a bit of a sadistic streak. “State the nature of your relationship with Ms. Inoue, please.”

This made Ulquiorra sigh. “Best friend and boyfriend of Miss Inoue. She’s expecting me.”

“Certainly sir, this is just for security purposes. Please pat your head and sing “I’ve Been Working on the Railro--”

“Rukia! What are you doing?!” Orihime had poked her head back into the guest house and overheard what the tiny woman was doing.

Rukia snickered. “Just having some fun,” she said to Orihime, then pressed the speaker button again. “Just kidding, come in,” she said with a smile in her tone and pressed the buzzer to let him in.

Orihime turned and made quick steps toward the entrance, waiting for the gate to open.

Ulquiorra heard the gate buzz and opened it, letting it close behind him. He was met with an armful of redhead. “Hi to you too,” he said.

She squeezed him, noting that he was not as thin as he had been in Austin. She buried her nose into the crook of his neck and squealed. “I’m here! You’re here!” She pulled back and looked up at his face, palms on his shoulders, so she could take in the sight of him. She grinned brightly as her eyes soaked it up.

He did not want to let her go, burying his face into hair. “I missed you,” he murmured. “How was your flight?”

“It was boring. Which is good, I guess. Hey,” she said, pulling her face back further and trying to look at him. There was something different about him besides the weight gain and the new tattoo. He seemed rattled. The thing with Nemu was probably still near the front of his mind. She bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m here. You don’t have to worry about it; you’re not alone anymore. C’mere,” she said in a soft voice, stepping into him again and sliding her hands up his back, holding him firmly. “You’re going to be fine.”

He nodded and had to control how he was breathing, otherwise he was going to start freaking out. “I’m glad that you’re here. I--I--” Ulquiorra wrapped his arms around her tighter. 

“Oh, Baby, no. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I love you so much,” tears were pricking her eyes and one of her hands got into his hair, petting it in a soothing way. She kissed his cheek and then held his head to hers. 

His head bobbed up and down again as Ulquiorra swallowed down his tears. “Sorry, I just… I couldn’t wait to see you and now seeing you,” he paused. “I was afraid you’d hate me or you’d blame me for what happened.”

“No, no. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault and I would never blame you. I could never hate you. But I’m glad you were anxious to see me, because believe me, the feeling is mutual.”

It was? Ulquiorra tilted his head and looked at Orihime for a moment. Of course the feeling was mutual. She loved him. He loved her. They had chemistry and all of that. He let his hands run through her hair before he kissed her. He hoped she got the message of how badly he had missed her.

Orihime kissed him back, not restraining herself at all, a soft, short moan passing through her nose as her breath was stolen. It wasn’t until she heard an unimpressed voice clear itself behind her that she paused and looked at Ulquiorra, slightly confused.

He had been too into what they were doing and he looked equally confused at his girlfriend. Ulquiorra heard a foot tap and he turned his head to spy what appeared to be a little girl standing behind them. “We have company,” he said to Orihime.

Orihime turned her face to see Rukia looking at them with a bored expression. “You two done? You want to show him around? I still haven’t finished giving you the tour.”

Orihime smiled. “Sure, shall we?” she asked Ulquiorra.

“She’s tiny,” Ulquiorra said looking at the other female. “Are you classified as a midget?”

“What is that supposed to mean, Casper?” Rukia replied, raising an eyebrow and looking him over. She wasn’t all that impressed. She looked between the two people in front of her and assessed their compatibility in her own eyes. She was underwhelmed. They seemed to be really into each other though, so they had that going for them. “Anyway, yes, I’m short. I have no idea what midget classification criteria are. I am told that my anger stunted my growth.” A mild threat was implied.

Casper? Casper? There was no way he was even that friendly. He gave a snort as he followed behind Orihime. “Hmph. At least I can see over a steering wheel,” he muttered.

Orihime turned her face to him with an unimpressed smirk. “You said that to me once, too, Hotshot.” She whipped her head back to face front, making a show of letting her hair swish and hips sway in an exaggerated manner, indicative of her level of offense. She was joking of course, and a few steps later she laughed and stopped to grab his hand. “Don’t mind the short comments, Rukia. They never let up.”

“You can barely see over the dash,” he pointed out. Ulquiorra held onto her hand like it was a lifeline. He didn’t want to let go. He pulled her close and bent down slightly to whisper in her ear. “Keep swaying your hips like that and I’m not going to wait.”

A shiver ran down her spine. “Noted,” she said, threading her fingers through his and tugging. 

Rukia pointed out the pool, the barbecue pit , the bathhouse, and the garage. “I’d let you into the main residence, but I think Mr. Urahara wants to show you around on his own. Will you be staying for dinner, Mr. Cifer? I should let Ms. Shihoin know if you are.”

“Uh, I’m not sure. I just want to spend time with Orihime,” he said in reply. Ulquiorra bit his lip, unsure if he should stay. He was technically in enemy territory.

Rukia chuckled. “If it’s because you’re an Espada, don’t worry about it. Although Mr. Urahara and Ms. Shihoin are senior Soul Society executives, they really don’t care much about affiliation unless you are actively breaking contracts. Espada and Soul Society do officially sanctioned collaborations all the time, anyway. It’s not like you’re here to be headhunted. If you’re Orihime’s boyfriend, you may as well make yourself known; make it feel normal from the get-go. Otherwise you run the risk of turning it into an issue when it doesn’t have to be.” Rukia’s commentary sounded like she was speaking from personal experience.

“That’s the thing...” he said before trailing off. Ulquiorra still hadn’t told anyone his decision concerning Orihime. “Tosen and Gin are being assholes about the tabloid thing.”

“What do you mean?” Rukia asked.

“He means Espada has told him to drop me or be dropped because his stylist got jealous and recorded us being intimate and gave pictures to the tabloids.”

“Ah, see, that would be problematic if anybody cared. Well I guess Gin and Tosen do, but I can guarantee they don’t,” Rukia said, gesturing to the main house. “They are more of the kind of people who think that love conquers all and they are sometimes very obnoxious about it. Despite that, they are also very discreet, especially about those they care about, and they do care about you, Ms. Inoue.”

“Orihime,” the redhead reminded Rukia.

“Right. Anyway, can I tell them to expect another guest?”

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime. “I don’t want to intrude. If you want to be with your--whatever he is for tonight, I will see you tomorrow.”

Orihime pouted. It seemed like he was against the idea. “It’s up to you. As far as I’m concerned… I mean maybe it’s premature, but I feel like, even though, _you know_ , we’re kind of a package deal?”

The smile was slow to form on his face but eventually he nodded. “Yes we are,” he said, not caring if there was an audience. He pulled Orihime closer to him and kissed her again.

Rukia rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. “Hello Ms. Shihoin. Yes, everything was fine. I’m calling to inform you that Ms. Inoue is bring--” There was a pause there, and then Rukia chuckled. “Well, you were right. He’s here right now, so I’ll just show them around the guest house and make sure they have what they need and then head back to the office.” Another pause. “Alright, bye.”

“She was expecting you,” Rukia said to Ulquiorra with an _I told you so_ expression on her face.

“She was expecting me? Why?”

Rukia rolled her eyes. “Because Mr. Urahara tells her everything, and he has seen you two together. It’s frankly pathetic. You’re like, just…” Rukia gestured toward the couple with both hands as if it were self-explanatory.

He looked at Orihime and then back at the assistant. “It’s called being in love. You should try it sometime. Maybe you wouldn’t be so grumpy,” Ulquiorra offered.

Rukia smirked at the young man and put her hands on her hips. “I _am_ in love, if you’re so smart. This is me being ungrumpy.”

It was a struggle not to roll his eyes. Ulquiorra wanted to tell this Rukia to get laid but she looked like she was about to annihilate his knee caps. “I guess I’m staying then,” he told Orihime. 

She beamed at him. “Yay! Now you get to help me unpack,” she said, waggling her eyebrows as if this was some kind of treat.” She didn’t wait for Rukia to take the lead as she pulled Ulquiorra into the guest house. “So, these are my new digs. There are three bedrooms, living, dining and kitchen, and didn’t you say there is a full apartment on the lowest level, Rukia?”

“Yep, so if you want to have, like, a maid or an aging relative or something stay, you could have separate living quarters. I don’t think it will come to that though,” Rukia replied.

“Ah, no. So, Ulquiorra, do you want to help me pick out a bedroom?”

When Orihime said she got a pool house or a guest house he thought she meant something like he’d seen on The OC when it was on reruns on television. This place was almost as big as his own house. “Holy shit, Orihime. This place is like a different world. I mean the beach house is huge… How many square feet is this entire place? Almost ten thousand?” 

Rukia spoke up. “The pool house is about four thousand square feet. The main residence is just over ten thousand.” She looked down at her nails like it was no big deal.

Ulquiorra about choked on his own tongue. “Holy shit,” he repeated. “You’re going to be like me. A ghost knocking around in a big mansion.”

Orihime smiled at him. “It’s only temporary, remember? I am going to have fun here, I’m sure, but this is just a pit stop. A very, very fancy and spacious pit stop,” she chuckled.

“Well while you’re here,you might as well enjoy yourself. I say pick the room with the biggest bed. That’s what I did,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Yeah, but there is a really really pretty room upstairs…” she said wistfully, leaning into his elbow. “Come help me.”

Ulquiorra smirked at her and then looked over at the assistant. “Is she done with us?”

Rukia shook her head at Ulquiorra. She thought he was an antagonist. Oh well, it wasn’t going to be her problem for much longer today. “Do you need anything else Orihime? I’ve written the gate code down next to the monitor and there are markets just a few blocks away. The fridge is stocked with water and juice and basics, so you shouldn’t need to go out.”

“I think we’re good, Rukia. I might be out of town this weekend, so I’ll see you in a few days, right? Do you have my number?”

Rukia nodded. “My number is on the same piece of paper as the gate code. Call if you need anything. I’ll be at the office. It was nice meeting you both,” she said as she walked out the door.

As soon as Rukia was gone, Ulquiorra looked at the redhead with a burning stare. “I’ve waited what seems like lifetimes for this,” he said, approaching her.

The nerves in her skin ignited under his gaze and she bit her lip. “You have?”

“Yes,” he said. “Months without you close by. You’re here with me now.” Ulquiorra backed Orihime against a wall and brushed the hair away from her ear, bringing his mouth down to her neck. 

“Oh,” she breathed, melting in his arms. Her body was responding faster than her mind was. “Ulquiorra, I…” her words cut off with a hum of appreciation for the sensation his lips were causing on her skin.

He was licking and sucking on her neck and sinking his teeth into her earlobe. He kept this up for several minutes before he switched to the other side, threading his hands through her hair once more. “Hmmm? What is it, Lover?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Hnngh,” she whined. “I love you, Ulquiorra,” she said, having given up any idea of restraint about a minute and a half ago. Her fingers found their way under his t-shirt and smoothed out over his body. “You’ve filled out,” she murmured.

“Yeah?” he asked in an absent manner as he lifted his head and kissed her. “I take it you like muscle Ulquiorra rather than the skeletal version of me?”

“You’d be right,” she answered before raising her lips back to his and kissing him, letting her tongue enter his mouth and find his. Her lips smiled as he curled his tongue around hers and a small chuckle sounded in her throat. After a couple minutes of this she broke the kiss and said, “I’d like to see as well as feel this version, if it’s alright with you?”

Ulquiorra took a step back from the woman and looked at her. After a moment, he nodded. “Did you want to find a room or just do this right here?”

Orihime looked around the room, which was walled almost entirely with windows. “Let’s find a room,” she answered, taking his hand and pulling him to the stairwell.

Once again he was playing follow the leader. Ulquiorra felt somewhat uncomfortable as he navigated the place with her. “Are all places in California like this? Windows everywhere? It’s too bright sometimes. I want to live in a cave once I can get my own place.”

“Don’t worry,” she said to him with a smile. “Alexa, close blinds,” she said in a loud, clear voice, and automatic window blinds folded until the room they had found was dimmed and shut out to the outside world. She turned her face to Ulquiorra with a small grin and said, “Nifty, eh?”

His mom’s house and the beach house had the same kind of thing but he barely used it. “When the robots take over… this place is going to fry whoever is in it,” Ulquiorra said.

“Thank you kind, benevolent, Alexa overlord!” Orihime called out then looked back at him. “Better?”

Ulquiorra nodded. “Yes, much better. Our robot overlords are watching, you know?”

He probably hadn’t meant to, but he had sort of broken the spell he had put her under. “So…” she started, her cheeks coloring and her fingertips worrying one another. She didn’t want to ruin the mood, but her responsible side was nagging at her brain. “Do you want to talk or just make out?”

A sigh left him. The desire that filled him had left him just as quickly. “We can talk if you want,” he answered.

She had disappointed him. “Come on,” she said, walking over to the bed and climbing on it. “I want to snuggle and talk and I am not opposed to peppering the discussion with other things,” she smiled at him. “I want to know what is going on. You’ve been really quiet this past week.”

Ulquiorra took off his shoes before he climbed onto the bed. He didn’t get close to Orihime at first. “You know I talked to my mom this week. I was supposed to be staying with her. I couldn’t though. Not with what she told me.”

“Do you want to tell me what she said, or is it too upsetting?” she asked, unaware of his plan to keep distance between them. She scooted right up to him and kissed his cheek before putting her arms around one of his and settling her cheek on his shoulder.

“I’ll give you the short rundown. I don’t want to go into detail.” Ulquiorra put his cheek against her head. “If you want to know specific things, I can tell you.” So he told her what his mom said, glossing over some things. When he was finished, Ulquiorra sat with his hand against his face and stared at Orihime.

Orihime just shook her head. “I am so, so sorry. That is completely… Just totally unbelievable and unfair and I mean, I know she is _finally_ protecting you, in a way, but she knew. She _knew_ about Nemu’s issues and she let her work with you. She didn’t say anything when you told her about Nemu’s inordinate attention and interest. She didn’t say anything when you were photographed kissing her. Your mother failed you. You are justified,” she brought her hand to his jaw and gently turned his gaze toward her. 

“Ulquiorra, listen to me,” she said, her eyes intense in their sincerity. “You did not deserve any of this. You did nothing that could in any small part justify either Nemu’s actions or your mother’s inaction. They failed you. You deserve so much more. I want to… I know I can’t make up for you having a shitty mom any more than you can make up for me having no mom, but I want to show you want it means when someone loves you the way you deserve to be loved, because you do deserve that,” she said as a tear fell out of her left eye. She kissed his lips softly and pulled back to look at him again, willing him to accept her sentiment.

“Thank you, Orihime.” Ulquiorra pulled her into his lap and held onto her tightly. He was so glad to have that off his chest. “I don’t understand my mother.”

“I don’t think you are supposed to. The fact that you don’t means you are normal,” she said, hugging him back.

“But she reminds me a lot of your aunt, Claire,” he replied. “Claire didn’t protect you from those men. She fed you to Aizen.”

Orihime nodded. “You’re right. They are both rather narcissistic. The way it presents is a little different, but those are just details. The fact is that my aunt never acted in my best interests unless they lined up with her own. She only did things to get what she wanted. She was attracted to my molester. She kept giving him access to me so that she could have some of his attention after our “lessons”. There was no reason for us to have singing lessons in my bedroom. There was no piano in there. But Claire turned a blind eye, because after he came out of my room he was always smiling and saying whatever he thought Claire wanted to hear. It inflated her ego. I’m sure that’s why she told everyone I lied; so that she might have a chance with him by proving her loyalty. Little did she know that she was like forty years too old for him. I think it was the same with Aizen. He flatters her. She likes how it feels. She would do anything to keep that kind of attention. I’m just a pawn to her; a resource,” she admitted quietly.

Ulquiorra frowned. How had they gotten stuck with such shitty parental figures? It made no sense. At least he had his father. Orihime didn’t even have that to fall back on. “I love you. I will protect you. No one will hurt you,” he said as he took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

She knew that no one could promise to keep anyone perfectly safe in all circumstances. She wasn’t naive. However, if he meant those words, it would be more than anyone else in her life had ever felt for her, apart from, perhaps, her deceased parents. Ulquiorra’s words made a big impact on her. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, whispering, “You will?” 

“I’ll try. If I’m able to protect you, I will. Of course, if I’m on tour...” Ulquiorra paused as he realized how ridiculous his declaration had been. “I love you and I will try my best.”

She deflated a bit. Oh well, it was okay. Best not to get swept away, wasn’t it? She smiled with one half of her mouth and nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

He gave her a smile and moved Orihime off his lap, then laid down. “Lay here with me and talk to me. What’s your impression of Los Angeles so far?”

“I love it. You’re here. Also, this house and this weather and even Rukia… What’s not to like?” she said, propping her head up on her palm and looking down at him. 

“Just wait until the cameras are in your face or you’re sitting somewhere and people start to whisper because they recognize you. It’s going to happen to you one of these days if you’re seen with me.”

“Hey, don’t sell me short. I get recognized on my own. But you’re right, it’s going to be a lot more intense when you’re allowed to be seen with me.”

He ran his hand through her hair, liking how the strands felt like silk to his skin. Ulquiorra gazed at her for a moment. “I don’t care if I’m allowed to be seen with you. I’m not throwing our relationship away because they think it’s horrible for my image. I don’t have a stellar image anyway.”

She smiled and kissed the tip of his nose and then returned to her previous position. “Well, by the time your tour is over, it might be no big deal anymore anyway. We might be getting all worked up about their restrictions for nothing.” She flopped down onto her back and sighed. “It sucks that you’re leaving so soon, but it is what it is I suppose.”

Ulquiorra turned onto his side and peered at Orihime. “The album comes out at the beginning of the month. The tour starts a couple weeks after that. It’s only eight weeks, ten cities. Nanao said this was like a baby tour for me, just to see how everything works.”

“Do you know what cities you are going to? Anywhere cool?”

He shook his head. “I know we’re going to be in Columbus in May. We’ll be playing in Pittsburgh, somewhere in Florida and Seattle. Other than that, I have no clue. I’m going to miss you, though. I’m going to call you every day and I’ll Facetime you. I’ll text while out on the road. I get to sleep in a tour bus. That should be fun.”

She smiled. “You better tell Ivan when you’re in Columbus so he can keep an eye on you for me.” She giggled at that. “He was so sweet. He just assumed he would take me to the airport; I didn’t even ask. He helped me take care of all my stuff like I was his sister. And then he was all like, “You tell Ollie I’m gonna be his pool boy this summer!” and I’m pretty sure he was totally serious.” She laughed and then looked at Ulquiorra quietly. He looked a lot better physically, and his eyes, although tired, had a bit of the kind of weariness to them that people only have after they have pushed past something bad. There was regret and fatigue, but also hope. It made her glad.

A smile crossed his face, turning the corners of his mouth up. “I hope you told Ivan that I’m madly in love with you and that I’m not interested in him, even if he is in love with me. To be honest, I kinda miss him. Watching him and Grimmjow squabble about stuff was funny. It’s good he took care of you while I couldn’t.”

She smiled back. “I don’t really get their dynamic with Hailey, but he seems to do a good job making them happy, so whatever. Anyway,” she paused and stretched, “the darkness is making me lethargic. Alexa, would you be so kind as to open the blinds, if it’s not too much hassle?”

A robotic voice responded, “I’m sorry, I don’t know that.”

Ulquiorra laughed. “Alexa, open the blinds!” he stated. “You need to rest. Jet lag is gonna catch up with you.” 

“Nah, going west is easy. It’s going the other way that’s hard. Plus, I don’t want to be out of it when they get home. I would rather power though and maybe get to bed a bit early and sleep in. I just figured since we’re just talking, that the mood lighting isn’t necessary.”

“Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?”

“If you want to, I know I would prefer to have you stay.”

A nod. “Today has been an emotional rollercoaster and I’m already tired. I would need something to sleep in. Maybe there’s a place around here where I can get a cheap pair of sweats or pj pants? I highly doubt I’d fit into anything of yours. You probably would hand me pink flannel pajamas.”

“Ha! As if I have anything like that. You could wear one of my Bad Habits,” she said, flashing her eyebrows at him and then falling over in laughter.

“Okay,” he said as if the idea didn’t bother him. She had mentioned it several times. She must have wanted to see him in one.

She curled her lip at him. “Really? I’d much rather have you sleep naked. Much, much rather,” then she paused and a smirk slowly stretched across her lips, “Although, maybe just once… for fun… And only if I get to do your makeup, too. Although, I must admit, I’m afraid you’ll end up prettier than me. We can’t have that.”

His head whipped back and forth. “Nope. I’ll put on a bad habit, but no makeup,” Ulquiorra responded. “Well, maybe. I mean I know I look good with eyeliner on.”

She sat up cross-legged and leaned over him. “Of course, but you’d need winged eyeliner, not the raccoon eyes you do. Let me see your face,” she said, taking hold of his chin and slowly moving it from side to side as she examined it. “You have such fantastic bone structure. Honestly, your mom isn’t ugly, and your dad is pretty hot, but where did you get this from?” she asked, drawing a finger down his cheekbones from his ear to his lips. “Exquisite, really. A little color is all you need to go from hot guy to very, very confusing.”

Grinning, Ulquiorra leaned forward and kissed her. “Uh, I am told that I look a lot like my grandparents. I think my parents adopted me, and I’d believe that, if it wasn’t for my grandmother’s eyes and the fact that there are pictures of my mom giving birth to me.”

She grinned back. “And when you smile, you look just like your dad. You two laugh the same. I love you both. You’re related.”

“I’m glad that you have us,” he said.

***

Despite protests, Orihime nodded off with her head on Ulquiorra’s chest about ten minutes later. An hour and a half after that, her phone started buzzing. Half asleep, she pulled herself across Ulquiorra’s body, straddling his stomach as she brought the phone to her ear and sleepily said, “Hello?”

“Hi there,” a purring, yet still spritely female voice said through the phone. “Did I wake you?”

“Who-- Is this Yoruichi?”

“The very same, Princess. Did your plus one fall asleep with you?”

“What?” Orihime rubbed her eyes and sat back, feeling an erection poke her in the backside. She looked down to see Ulquiorra giving her a sort of pained expression. “Oh, yeah, I guess I was tired and we both kind of drifted off.”

A throaty laugh answered her. “Well, freshen up and come over to the residence as soon as you’re ready, Kisuke should be here in about ten minutes and dinner will be ready in forty-five. I’m looking forward to meeting you!”

“Me too, see you soon,” Orihime replied and then the call ended.

“Well, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she said to the man underneath her, adjusting her seat but making no move to get off of him.

“I didn’t mean to go to sleep either,” he admitted. “Are you thinking of something, or do you just like using me as furniture? Who was on the phone?” Ulquiorra’s hands came up to her hips, holding her there. 

“Yoruichi. She said dinner would be ready in forty-five minutes, Kisuke is getting home in ten, and whenever we’re “refreshed” and ready, we should come over,” she answered, her hips moving on their own in response to his touch. “I am always thinking, and you are comfortable. Very comfortable.”

Teeth raked over his bottom lip as Ulquiorra helped her movements. “You want to, uh, take care of things, or wait until later?”

She raised her hips and lowered them carefully over his erection and kept moving slowly. “Now and later. I can’t possibly be expected to carry on a conversation when all I can think about is how you feel underneath me right now.” She didn’t wait for his opinion, either. “Alexa, close blinds,” she said, peeling her shirt over her head and taking her bra off.

Ulquiorra pushed himself up and took off his own shirt and quickly unbuttoned his jeans. He decided he would leave the rest up to her. “That’s how I live my life, Woman. I’m constantly thinking about how you feel; how much I love you.”

She scooted down his legs enough to help him unfasten his jeans and pull them and his boxers down his legs to free up his cock and keep his clothing out of the wet zone, then pulled her own jeans and underwear off, somewhat awkwardly. When she was free of clothing, she walked back up his legs on her knees and slid her wet nether lips over his dick. “I have missed you,” she said, finding his hands and threading their fingers together as she looked into his eyes.

A low moan left him as she rocked against him. He could barely keep his eyes open from the pleasure that was starting to cloud his thoughts. “Veggs, please,” he whined as Ulquiorra looked back at her.

“What do you want, Baby?” she asked in a sweet, soothing voice. She was enjoying this, though. It was gratifying to hear how badly he wanted her.

“I want you to ride me. I want you to come on me,” he said, breath hitching as he felt wetness slide against his cock once again. He wanted to forget about anyone else touching him. “I want to bury myself inside of you. I want to kiss you until you can’t stand it anymore.”

She grinned and moved on him as she had been twice more before she granted his wish, raising her hips enough to allow his cock to rise and her to sink back down on it. She groaned in satisfaction as it filled her, the feeling of being stretched causing her shoulders to relax and her eyes to roll up. “I love you,” she whispered, pulling his hands up so she could use them for leverage as she began to rise and fall on him.

He loved how she felt as Orihime moved on him. Ulquiorra felt more at peace and at home now that she was with him. It didn’t matter that she lived in another part of the huge city. She was closer than Ohio. “Mmmm, Baby. I want you so much. I want to monopolize your time and your body. I want your attention. Fuck.” His hips slowly started to move on their own.

Orihime smiled at him and changed her technique in response to him moving inside of her. She let him take care of the thrusting while she focused on angles, making sure she was being stimulated in all the right places and tightening and loosening on him, making it easier as he pushed in but pulling on him as he came out. It was a bit selfish on her part, focusing so much on her own pleasure, but she couldn’t be bothered to care. “This feels so fucking good,” she huffed, her grip on his hands causing her knuckles to grow pale.

Ulquiorra had no clue what she was doing. All he knew was that this felt so fucking phenomenal. It felt like his world was about to shatter if he increased the pace. “Just good?” he managed to ask.

She could only gasp in response. Her face was pink and her eyes were closed, the color in her face spreading down over her chest, her tight nipples causing her breasts to look swollen as they bounced on her chest in time with his thrusts. She had been holding her breath, releasing only tiny gasps and sucking in a sharp inhalation each time she felt close to suffocation. The heat inside of her caused her walls to swell and it felt like each time he pushed into her she might break. It was wild and uncontrolled for her, despite her focus. The length of time between breaths started to decrease as she felt something inside of her tighten, and the gasps started to become vocal as the sounds of her wet body moving with his increased in volume. “Ah,” she cried out as she pushed deeper onto him and ground herself to his body before going back to the previous exercise. She was close. “Fucking mindblowing,” she finally managed to squeak out, then a long moan. A few more thrusts and she would be done.

“Orihime,” he moaned upon hearing her words. Ulquiorra threw his head back, bracing his feet on the bed. His thighs clenched as he started to thrust into her at a quicker pace. Fuck. “Hnnngh, I’m going to come.”

“I’m coming now,” she hissed, then started to whine with an open mouth as her walls rippled around him and her nerves sparked throughout her body. “Oh my god, Ulquiorra-ah-ah!” she called out as she rode out her high with him pushing up into her.

His body trembled as he felt his cock pulse inside of her. Ulquiorra’s groan faded into whimpers as he felt her body respond to his. His hands tightened their grip on Orihime’s as he rode the aftershocks of their mutual orgasm. “Woman,” he murmured.

She sat up on him, softly whimpering until she was able to take a normal breath, and then collapsed into his chest. “Ulquiorra, that was… Holy shit.”

“You’re telling me. I mean the last couple times we’ve spent apart and then came together have been intense but that--” He had to take a ragged breath to keep speaking. “That was just… Wow. Was it okay for you?”

“Okay? Not _okay_. Jesus, Ulquiorra. I think you kind of flipped the earth on its side. That was fantastic,” she said as she panted, pulling herself up enough to kiss at his jaw.

His face turned bright pink. Ulquiorra grabbed her by the waist and rolled them over so that he was on top of her. “I’m glad you’re the only person I’ve shared this with,” he said, pulling out of her.

“I’m glad that you are my last. I love you so much. I can’t imagine loving anyone the way I love you,” she murmured, cupping his face and looking at him adoringly, the afterglow causing her to just spew the contents of her heart out without worry.

Last? Was she saying that he would be the last man--Oh. His heart swelled with affection and Ulquiorra kissed her deeply. The intense emotions from their coupling made him feel lighthearted. “Can’t we just stay here and enjoy each other for the rest of our days?” he asked.

“Yeah, but we wouldn’t have many days left if we let ourselves whither away without sustenance,” she said and giggled. “You still owe me a back scrub, don’t you?”

“I can give you much more than a back scrub. Do you want to take a bath later with me? Or we could take another shower together.” He smiled down at her before he rolled to the side of Orihime.

“Yes. But now I have to take a shower. I’m a sweaty, sexy mess, and we have a dinner to get to.” she stated, rolling over toward him and kissing him again. Despite her words and intentions, she didn’t have it in her to leave his side at the moment.

Ulquiorra held her for several minutes before he looked at Orihime. “Hey,” he said.

“What?” she answered.

“I’m glad that you’re my last, too.”

She looked at him, her eyes full of wonder and love. “We can do this. I believe in you. I believe in us. I believe I have to get into the shower,” she added with a whimper.

He smirked at her and swung his legs off the bed and sat up. All Ulquiorra had to do was wipe himself off and he’d be good to go. “Come on, Veggs time is ticking. You got… about twenty minutes.”

She scampered into the bathroom and started the shower, doing everything as quickly as possible and then coming back out into the bedroom wrapped in a towel. “Oops, you were supposed to help me unpack. I have no idea where any of my stuff… I think it’s all in the kitchen. Would you mind bringing my suitcase up here? There are a lot of windows down there.”

Ulquiorra nodded and threw his phone on the bed. To pass the minutes he had browsed his social media accounts for shits and giggles. Nanao had a pretty good grasp on his fans. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he replied, disappearing out of the room.

She glanced down at the device as she waited. It was face-up and begging to be looked at, so she picked it up. It was his Instagram feed. She scrolled through, looking at the recent pictures of him and his bandmates that she could only assume Nanao took and uploaded for him. She paused at one she thought was especially cute and smiled, until she read a few of the comments. Ugh. People could be really tasteless. It was nothing new, but still, it was unpleasant. She scrolled down a bit and saw something that nearly made her snarl.

That relentless cunt.

**TresGamz3** I miss those lips. I remember how they used to feel on my body.

Another new account? Christ. Two could play at that game, she thought, as she imagined what secondary account she could make to stalk Nel’s, until the fantasy fizzled out. Orihime would never bother with something like that in real life. If she wanted to confront Nel, she would do it directly. No hiding.

Ulquiorra came back up with her bag a moment later. “Nanao must have her hands full,” she commented, rolling her eyes at his phone to clue him in.

He raised a brow at her before he hauled her suitcase up on the bed. “Why what happened now? Another scandal?” Ulquiorra asked as he picked his phone up. “Who the fuck is Tres Gamz three?”

“The same person as Tres Gamz and Gamuza three and all the other iterations, I’m sure. Don’t even worry about it, I’m sure Nanao will see it and figure it out on her own,” she said as she opened the suitcase and pulled out the long green sleeveless dress she had worn the first time they went to Sado’s. “What do you think about this one? Okay for the season?”

He nodded. “Didn’t you wear that dress the night you slept in my dorm the first time?” 

She nodded, “Yep, it’s the same one,” then she smiled. “This was the last thing I wore before we had sex the first time, wasn’t it?”

His cheeks flushed and he nodded. “That’s a good dress. It’s a nice dress. It’s a dress I like and remember fondly.”

“Then we have a winner,” she said, grinning and shaking it out. She grabbed a bra and undies and started dressing right there beside the bed. Ulquiorra was half distracted by his phone, anyway. “I’m only going to be a second, I just have to brush my hair.”

He was discreetly taking pictures of her. Damn. Orihime had a nice ass. Her tits were nice. She was beautiful in a lot of ways. Ulquiorra threw his phone down onto the bed and walked over to her after she was dressed. He started kissing her neck again, gently this time.

She smiled at their reflection in the mirror. “We do make a nice looking pair, don’t we?” she asked, although it wasn’t a question. They definitely did. She was quiet as she admired their image in the glass and she brushed her hair slowly. She was thinking about things that scared her a little bit. Big words like commitment and forever. Things that she took for granted almost, but when she thought about them, it kind of put her on edge. Fuck it, she thought to herself. If she was going to get hurt again because she decided to believe in their relationship, she might as well get devastated.

He glanced at their image in the mirror as he continued to kiss her neck. “I can’t wait to take you out and have everyone talking about us.” Ulquiorra chuckled. “You make me a happy man, I hope you know that.”

She smiled at him and brought a hand to the side of his face. “I’m starting to get that feeling,” she admitted. “I’m ready to go over there, are you?” she asked, leaning into him and closing her eyes, savoring the feel of his lips on her neck.

“Not really,” he said, but straightened his posture. “I really feel like I’m in enemy territory here. I’m afraid I’m gonna get in trouble being around you, which is silly because I’m a damn adult… well not really, but you know what I mean.”

“You’re old enough to die in a war, you’re old enough to choose your company, I say. But I know you’ve got a lot a stake. You’re already here though, so you may as well try to have a nice time. Just don’t talk shop.”

Well, duh. Ulquiorra was going to avoid that shit like the plague. It didn’t mean her gracious hosts were going to abide by the same rules. He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I guess I can’t stay here forever and hide. Off we go.”

The walk over to the main residence was short, and Kisuke had been anxious. Before they even got to the back patio he had flung open the glass door and held his arms out to his sides. “Welcome to our humble abode, my sweet princess, and her brave sir knight! Come in, come in!” He waved them in with the gusto of a Disney character and led the way, assuming they would follow.

Orihime slipped her hand into Ulquiorra’s elbow and giggled, then whispered to him, “Wow, quite the welcome.”

He raised a straight black brow at Orihime and chuckled nervously. “I feel like I’m meeting your parents and they know every bad thing I’ve ever done.”

“Well, this is about as close as you’ll ever get, and I think most of the bad stuff you’ve done is on the Internet, so you’re probably not wrong,” she said with a wide grin before turning to face their hosts. “Thank you so much for this, Kisuke, and you must be Yoruichi?” she said to the athletic-looking, dark-skinned woman.

“I am. It’s so good to finally meet Kisuke’s pretend daughter. I hope you’ve enjoyed your birthday cards, I am the one who picks them out, with the exception of the Kermit the Frog ones. Those are from Captain Weirdo,” she said, pointing her thumb toward the blond.

Orihime shook Yourichi’s hand and then turned toward Ulquiorra. “Yoruichi, this is my boyfriend, Ulquiorra Cifer.”

A wry smile spread across the older woman’s lips as she held a hand out to him. “A pleasure indeed,” she said, giving him a once-over.

Ulquiorra shifted his weight and nodded at the woman before he briefly took her hand. “Hello,” he replied.

The woman’s eyes shifted to Orihime. “Got yourself a shy one. Cute. Can I offer either of you a drink? I have some nice infused water or jasmine tea, otherwise whatever?”

“Infused water sounds nice,” Orihime said.

“Water sounds good.” Ulquiorra finally took a good look at the woman.

“Good, I think we have strawberry basil today,” Yoruichi said, turning to the kitchen. The entire house was basically one huge room on the first floor, so she was still in sight.

“Have a seat at the bar and tell me about your trip,” Kisuke said, then interrupted himself. “Oh! Be right back!” he said and left quickly.

“Is her hair purple?” Ulquiorra asked Orihime in a whisper.

“Looks like, doesn’t it?” she whispered back.

He nodded before taking seat. “The guy seems… eccentric.”

“I wonder what that says about my dad… They were best friends, apparently,” she murmured, then snickered.

“Secrets, secrets are no fun, secrets, secrets hurt someone,” the feline voice came from close behind.

“Oh! Sorry,” Orihime squeaked, surprised at the older woman’s proximity, then reached for the glass of water with a couple macerated strawberries and a basil leaf floating in it. “We were just saying that Uncle Kisuke is quite the character, and I was wondering what it said about my dad,” Orihime admitted sheepishly.

The purple-haired woman threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, boy, I never met your father, Orihime, but I have heard the stories. I’m sure you’ll hear them in due time. Let’s just say that your father was… um, adventurous.”

Orihime raised her brows and nodded, not really understanding, but not wanting to dig any deeper at the moment.

“Here you go, Ulquiorra,” Yoruichi said, placing his glass in front of him and then slinking around to the other side of the bar. “So, how do you know our Orihime?” She asked, as Kisuke returned with a gift bag.

“Oh wait wait wait, I want to hear this, don’t start without me!” Kisuke said as he shuffled over toward Yoruichi a bit faster.

“Uh, when I posted my first Youtube video, she commented,” Ulquiorra said, looking at the redhead. “We kind of hit it off as internet buddies, and then when I started college this past September, we got paired up in several classes without knowing who the other was.”

“Way to stake your claim early,” Yoruichi said to Orihime, raising her martini glass and a brow at her before taking a drink.

Kisuke rolled his eyes. “Of course you would focus on that part of the story,” he complained to his partner. He then looked at the young couple with a dreamy expression. “It sounds like fate to me, how romantic,” he said, smiling.

Orihime was pretty sure that this was not his first vodka of the evening. “Heh heh, yeah, it is pretty coincidental, isn’t it?” she replied, smiling a bit awkwardly and putting a hand on Ulquiorra’s knee under the bar.

“It wasn’t like that,” Ulquiorra protested. “I kind of latched onto her. There was some difficult areas in my life at the time and she helped me through them.”

Kisuke smiled. “You hear that, my lovely Yoruichi? There is hope for the younger generation yet. Kindness and cooperation get you through times when passion alone does not suffice!” Kisuke announced, taking another drink.

Yep, Orihime was pretty sure he was well on his way to getting sloshed.

“Oh!” The blond interjected, holding a finger up and taking another sip of his drink before setting his glass on the bar, then bent down to the gift bag he had near his feet. “Before I forget, a welcome home gift,” he explained, holding the bag to Orihime. “Yoruichi picked it out, so please don’t blame me.”

Orihime was nervous now, as she put the bag on her lap and looked at her boyfriend. “Should I open it?”

“Please do,” the woman answered. 

She put her hand inside the bag and pulled out something wrapped in tissue about the size of a small purse. She set it on the bar top and opened the tissue to reveal a two piece bathing suit. 

“I figured you might need something like that to enjoy the amenities; I imagine you don’t have a lot of swimming opportunities where you’re from in the land of penguins and polar bears,” Yoruichi exaggerated.

“Thank you, that’s very thoughtful,” Orihime said, holding up the tiny bottoms and raising an eyebrow at Ulquiorra.

His forehead wrinkled as he stared at the tiny bikini. It wasn’t his place to say that the piece of clothing was inappropriate. There was no way those bottoms would cover Orihime’s ass. The top was even questionable. “It’s nice looking,” was all he stated.

“Well, dinner is ready, let’s go to the dining room,” Yoruichi said, leading the way. “We’re having Iranian food. It’s from this great place near the office. We would have cooked, but that damn Byakuya keeps putting his foot in his mouth and keeping us late—“

“Nuh uh uh, my dear, no shop talk. This is to be a pleasant evening,” Kisuke advised.

The foursome sat down and started eating and talking about the trip and the weather and the neighborhood and sightseeing spots. The meal was good and Orihime was feeling more relaxed by the end of it. She looked over at Ulquiorra before dessert was served to see how he was faring.

It was nice to be around people, if only in small doses. He joined in when he could with the conversation, but tried to just observe things. He didn’t want to seem like he was trying to be overbearing. He wanted to, because he didn’t know these people, and Ulquiorra didn’t think Orihime knew them that well either. He caught her eye and gave her a small smile after he took a drink of water. “What?” he asked, reaching a hand out to her.

“Just love you,” she said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. She didn’t let go after she relaxed her grip, leaving their joined hands on the table.

“Okay, for this course we have something very special,” Yoruichi announced, walking back into the room with a tray of small plates with macaroons, sorbet, and berries. “You’ll be staying the night, right Ulquiorra?”

“Yes, if that’s okay. It’s a long drive back down to Laguna Beach,” Ulquiorra said.

“A wise boy,” she commented before setting plates down. “There isn’t much alcohol in it, but this sorbet is raspberry merlot and I wouldn’t want someone underage driving even just smelling slightly of alcohol. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t affect you at all, I’m just being cautious. Everything here, including these macaroons, which are rose and lavender from this gorgeous herb garden up the coast, are from local artisans, blah blah blah it’s fancy, you’ll love it, so please dig in,” Yoruichi said, taking her own seat and putting her legs up on Kisuke’s lap, holding her plate over her own.

“You really don’t stand on ceremony, do you?” Orihime asked with an approving smile.

“No, we really don’t,” Kisuke answered, a bit confused, as if this was the first time anyone had ever pointed that out. 

It made Orihime laugh. She dipped her spoon into the sorbet and put it into her mouth, closing her eyes and moaning as it melted on her tongue. “Oh my god this is amazing,” she said. 

Ulquiorra had to admit the sorbet was awesome, but the macaroons were even better. “These are… These are really… it’s like--” he couldn’t find the words to describe the tiny sweets.

“They’re like eating perfume that actually tastes good and they are so airy!” Orihime filled in, still in rapture from the new flavors, until she looked across the table and nearly choked on the sweet, trying not to laugh. Kisuke had passed out in his chair, his head completely tipped backward over his seatback. He looked like an open Pez dispenser.

“Is he going to be alright?” she finally asked after she managed to swallow her bite.

Yoruichi looked over at the man slowly. “Yep. He does this all the time after days like today. He tries not to let the stress get to him, and then he just crashes at the end of the day. Tomorrow he’ll wake up fresh as a daisy. Lucky bastard. If I drank what he had tonight, I’d be dragging tomorrow.” She paused and her expression softened as she gazed at her partner. “We have this employee who is trying so hard to make a name for himself, but he has no people skills and keeps making things more difficult. Also,” she said, turning her face to Orihime, “Don’t tell him I mentioned it, but he has been looking into ways to expose that Aizen guy. It’s very troubling to him what he is learning. It keeps him up at night.” 

She looked at the blond and back to Orihime and Ulquiorra. “Don’t rush, but as soon as you’re done, would you mind letting yourselves out? I’m going to try to get him to bed. And don’t worry about him, he had a wonderful time tonight. He was so excited for this,” she said fondly, taking her feet off his lap and standing up.

“Can we help you clean up?” Orihime asked.

“No, no, no. I’ll take care of it later. Although, Ulquiorra, if you wouldn’t mind, do you think you could get his other shoulder?”

As quickly as he could, Ulquiorra pushed his chair back and helped Yoruichi with the man. He was surprisingly heavy for having such a thin body. “I’ll be right back, Orihime.”

Yoruichi was quiet as they helped the older man shuffle up the stairs and onto the bed in the huge master bedroom. After Kisuke was seated, she smiled at Ulquiorra and waved him off, helping Kisuke get his legs under the covers. Before Ulquiorra got very far, Kisuke spoke. “Mr. Cifer?”

He knew it was too good to be true. Ulquiorra turned around and looked at the blond, “Yeah?”

“You’ll be good to her, won’t you?”

“Of course. I’m going to do everything in my power to be good to her and make her happy.”

“Good. Try to do more than that. Don’t be afraid of using other people’s power to suit your own purposes. You’ll need connections in this business. The more you have, the safer you are. Some people say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but in this town,” Kisuke paused and sighed, “there are more sharks than friendly fish, it seems. Make friends and hang on to the good ones. I hope you will come to see us as friends in due time.” With that he set his head on his pillow.

He opened his mouth to reply but realized the other man was probably passed out. Ulquiorra shook his head and left the bedroom, walking back to where he left Orihime. “Are you ready to go back?” he asked once he got to her.

“Yeah, was it okay up there?”

“Yeah, Urahara woke up long enough to give me some advice, and then promptly passed out again.”

Orihime shook her head and laughed. “They are both…” she paused, not really knowing the right word to use. “Interesting,” she finally landed on and grinned at him, pushing her chair back and getting up. She walked over to the bar and picked up the gift bag with the bikini in it before making her way to the back door. 

“That thing he bought you… Kinda inappropriate,” Ulquiorra said as soon as they were outside of the huge house.

“Yeah, he said Yoruichi picked it out. She kind of strikes me as an exhibitionist. Oh well, I don’t need to wear it when they’re home. Or I can keep it at your place,” she said, bumping the side of her hip into his thigh.

Ulquiorra smirked at her. “How bold of you to assume I’d let you swim with a swimsuit. I remember what you wanted… to swim naked.”

She smirked. “You may get sick of seeing me naked all the time. Sometimes a little decoration is good.”

“Orihime, why would you think that?” Ulquiorra asked and took her by the hand so she would stop moving. “If I could, I would bring you with me, or I would stay here with you. I would find a job and try to give you a home with me. You deserve more than that, though.”

"I just meant you might enjoy the sight of the bikini but what do you mean I de--” She figured out what he meant and relaxed. “It’s eight weeks. You’ll be back before we know it. Come on, let’s get inside and get naked again.”

He pouted for a moment. “It’s eight weeks without you.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Eight weeks apart. Still with me, though. Just apart.”

“You could sign with Espada.” Ulquiorra bit his lip and frowned. He was becoming clingy again. He didn’t like the idea of letting her go.

She took his hand and pulled him toward the pool house again. “I haven’t had any offers from Espada. Besides, I’m pretty sure they want me away from their favorite up-and-comer. Your former stylist has branded me a whore and Espada doesn’t want me tainting your image, whether or not I signed with them.”

“What about the fact that I was photographed with you, Nel, and Nemu? That kind of makes me look like a whore too,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, it’s a double-standard. You’re allowed. You’re supposed to be this young, virile dude. It sells records. Me in Bad Habits might sell records too but… To be honest, I don’t know what Espada’s problem is with it; it shouldn’t really make much of a difference except for the whole lawsuit thing. They probably don’t want their name or yours dragged through the mud if Aizen’s lawyers try to spin damage control.”

A heavy sigh left him as they entered the guest house. Ulquiorra didn’t want to fight about this;, he just wanted to spend time with her. “The label has done a lot to cover up a lot of wrongdoings. They’ve been compensating Nemu over the Mayuri thing. "Here is some fresh meat, don’t sue us because your ex went crazy and carved you up". It’s their fault, because they pumped the guy full of drugs.”

Orihime sighed. “And you have to pay the price. That’s crap. It sucks that it is affecting us, too. I mean… I don’t know, I don’t _want_ to be separated from you, but maybe it won’t be all bad. I’m trying to be positive here,” she gave him an apologetic glance. “We can work on getting to know each other more. We can practice talking without having our lips on each other…” she paused and groaned. Now that the door was closed she was less guarded. “I am going to be so sexually frustrated without you around though, especially by the time this week is over. I plan on making good use of it. I hope you’re ready.”

He laughed. “I was so sexually frustrated when I got back from Austin. You don’t know how many times I wanted to call you up and ask for your help to get off.”

She gave him a lust-filled gaze, “Why didn’t you? I would have, gladly,” she said, before saying more loudly, “Alexa, close all blinds.”

“Why didn’t I?” Ulquiorra asked and walked up to her. “I don’t know. I didn’t want you to think I was a desperate and horny pervert,” he said.

“What if I like you being a desperate horny pervert?” she asked, sliding her fingertips under his t-shirt and up his body to his face. “I wanna see you. I want to see your body; I was too focused on your face before.”

Ulquiorra took a step back from Orihime and slowly stripped his T-shirt off, letting it fall to the floor. “Even when we were broken up, I wanted to call you up to jerk off to your voice. I did other things instead.”

“Oh? What did you do?” she asked, looking him over slowly. He was still on the thin side, but much more attractive than he had been in Austin. He had obviously been working out while gaining weight; he was cut.

“I have to admit… I got off on the pics I have of you; the voicemails… the underwear… several times.” Ulquiorra stood in front of her now and slowly began to undo the fastening of his jeans. “I thought about you all the time.”

She smiled but it was small; the thought of them being so miserable putting a damper on the idea of him getting off to memories of her. “I, um, relied on memory,” she admitted, her eyes following his hands closely.

He didn’t take his jeans off, instead leaving them unfastened. Ulquiorra brought his hands up and cupped Orihime’s face. “And? How was it?” he asked before he leaned towards her and kissed her, his tongue slipping into her mouth.

“Nothing compares to the real thing,” she murmured against the skin of his neck after he broke the kiss. “If I could be wrapped around you twenty-four seven, I would be. I missed the smell of your skin and the feel of your lips,” she said, nuzzling the corner of his jaw with her nose and closing her lips over his earlobe. She teased it with her teeth for a second and then kissed her way down to his chest. She alternated between kissing, sucking, nuzzling, and breathing in the scent of his skin on his body from his neck to his navel. She loved his body as she loved him. She wanted to imprint his taste and feel and smell into her brain again.

“Hnnngh.” It was his only response to what she was doing. “We should... ” Ulquiorra bit his lip as she hit a particularly sensitive spot.

She slid her body up his and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What should we do?” she asked softly.

“Get lost in each other’s worlds for a couple of days,” Ulquiorra offered, holding her close. “In the morning, we’re going to my place.”

She smiled and kissed his neck, then nodded. “Okay. But right now, I kind of need you all over me.”

“I don’t mind if I do, Woman.”


	9. Verbal Contract

“Do you want me to bring anything?” Orihime asked the next morning as she packed a duffel bag for her trip to Ulquiorra’s place. She had thrown in a few days’ clothes and toiletries and the bathing suit from Kisuke and Yoruichi for good measure.

Ulquiorra was lounging on the bed. He needed to get motivated to get dressed. “Nope. Unless you want to bring some bad habits along?”

“I’m a step ahead of you,” she said, zipping the bag up and throwing her body onto the bed beside Ulquiorra, causing his to bounce. She giggled as she watched, then rolled into his side. “Don’t let me forget to bring some sneakers so we can work out or go for a walk; I can’t let myself go just because it feels like I’m on vacation.”

An eyebrow raised. “I do have a gym in the lower floor of the house. I mostly just swim; sometimes I’ll lift weights,” Ulquiorra said. “But, Veggs, I think I can give you enough of a workout.”

She bit her lip and raised her eyebrows at him, then said, “I need to make sure more than just my vagina is in shape, you know.” Half of her lips twisted into a wicked smile, waiting for him to cringe at her word choice.

He scoffed then rolled his eyes. “Sex is an all over body workout. All you have to do is ride me all the time.”

“And let you waste away to Mr. Weaksauce? I think not. You need to participate. There are more positions, you know.”

“Look at who knows the Kama Sutra,” he said with a laugh. “I’m well aware there are more positions. Maybe we’ll get to explore some of those now.”

“Right now?”

“When we get back to my place? I’m not swinging from the chandelier here.”

“There is no chandelier here,” she shot back playfully. “Okay, I guess I’ll follow you there?”

Ulquiorra looked at her with a frown, his playful mood dropped. “Oh, you’re going to follow me down there?”

“If you want to drive me back when it’s time, it’s fine with me, but I don’t want to be an inconvenience,” she answered.

“Really? An inconvenience? Are you serious?” Ulquiorra asked, turning towards her. “When have you ever been one to me? I can tell you that you haven’t.”

“But it's a long drive to have to make round trip. I just feel kind of guilty. I mean, I don’t  _ want  _ to drive alone, I just… I don’t want to drive alone,” she admitted, twisting her mouth to the side.

Ulquiorra sighed. “Nanao makes the trip all the time, but I think she lives in Ventura or Sherman Oaks. I’d say sure, follow me, if I still lived in Malibu, but I don’t. My mom has me at the other end of Los Angeles.”

“The difference is Nanao gets paid to cart you around; it’s her job. Oh well, this time you can take me there and back so I know where it is and next time I’ll come to you?” she proposed.

A smile bloomed on his face. “That sounds kind of perfect,” Ulquiorra said. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yep. I just need to grab my shoes. Let’s go so we have the whole day.”

That was enough motivation for him to get out of her bed and finally get dressed. Ulquiorra pulled on his jeans and stood before he looked at Orihime. He studied her for a moment, still kind of disbelieving she was there. “I’m really glad you’re here, Orihime.”

“Me too. Why so serious though?” she asked, taking his hand and standing in front of him.

“What, I can’t show appreciation for you being here? I mean it only took how many months?” Ulquiorra said those words but he knew he was the one to blame for the delay in her coming out to California.

She scoffed and dropped his hand to walk over to where her shoes were. “You can say whatever you feel, I just wondered, sheesh. Anyway, really, it only took a couple of weeks from when we kind of gave up on being broken up until now, so…” she turned to smile at him. “I’m glad you’re happy about it, though.”

Ulquiorra stood there for a moment, tilting his head. He was wondering what she was thinking. Hell, there were times he wondered what he was thinking when he said some of the shit he said. “But, before...” he trailed off, unable to finish what he was trying to say.

“Hold on, you are counting the time… I guess our timelines are different, aren’t they? I suppose it’s always that way when one person leaves and one is left behind.” She walked over to the bedroom door and waited, putting her bag by her feet. He still wasn’t finished getting dressed.

It was obvious she didn’t want to talk about their breakup. Ulquiorra sighed as he grabbed his shirt from where it sat at the foot of the bed then put on the rest of his clothing and shoes. All he had to do was grab his wallet, phone, and keys, which he did before nodding at her. “I’m ready, if you are.”

“I’m ready. And if you are upset about something or want to talk, don’t hold back. I saw that look before. I know that look,” she took a heavy breath. “I don’t want to do what we did before. Let’s just get our stuff in the car and we can talk in there. No reason we can’t multitask, right?”

Once they were in the car, Ulquiorra didn’t really say anything as he got the gps up and running. He focused on traffic more than anything.

Orihime let it go for about fifteen minutes, and then she couldn’t take it anymore. “So, apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree, does it? Jon would always clam up when he drove me places, too.”

“Huh? I’m just trying to focus on getting us there in one piece. When did my dad drive you places?” He asked, glancing at her.

“Um,” she said awkwardly. He didn’t know about the time she called his father sobbing. “When I, uh, I mean, after you left there was a time when I was unable to drive and I didn’t want to be alone so he picked me up and brought me to your house. And then the drive back, obviously.”

Oh. Ulquiorra nodded. He could understand that. “Yeah, my dad is quiet when he drives. Road trips were never really that fun with him.”

“You weren’t this quiet when you took me up to your dad’s the first time. What is on your mind, Ulquiorra?” she asked more gently this time.

“Nothing really,” he said quietly. He decided he wasn’t going to lie to her. He wasn’t going to sit there and stew. “I just hate knowing I hurt you as bad as I did. I hate the fact that you just got here and I’m going to be leaving in a few weeks. I hate that I let Nemu do that.”

She put her hand on his knee and patted it. “I hate that I let Aizen do that. I hate that I let Marvin Winter do what he did. I hate that I let Roger Becker and Ned Smallish do what they did. It happened, though. It wasn’t my fault. And it wasn’t your fault what Nemu did, either.” She took a deep breath. “You can’t help that you’re going on tour. It’s your job. You should be looking forward to it, actually. It’s really exciting. I kind of wish I could come with you, but this is your thing. I’m sure you’ll be wildly successful, but what if, for some bizarre reason, this is the only tour you ever get? You really should enjoy it.”

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. These assholes now had names. They had hurt his woman. They probably were already dead, but if they weren’t, they deserved the wrath of a thousand suns. Ulquiorra had to shake his head to dispel the anger building inside of him. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. “I am looking forward to it. The new stylist is gonna be coming along and it’s not Nemu. Aaron says that he’s gonna try to party less and Ggio, well he’s a stuck up asshole. Can’t really change much with him.”

She smiled. “See? It’s going to be great. So what is the new stylist like?” Orihime asked, trying to keep him talking.

“Riruka? She’s the complete opposite of Nemu. She’s this tiny loudmouth thing who bitched constantly at us and yelled. It was rather refreshing to be honest,” Ulquiorra replied. He looked over and gave his girlfriend a smile. “She’s boisterous.”

“Oh yeah?” Orihime’s smile widened in response to his. “Is she less cyborg than Nemu? Older? Younger? How does she dress? Right now I’m imagining a chihuahua, and although funny, it’s not really very realistic,” she chuckled.

Ulquiorra laughed. “That sounds about spot on. She’s like a year or two older than us? She’s quite animated. She’s got weird dark pink or red hair; I’m not really sure because of the lighting. As for the way she dresses? I have no clue. It’s kind of the stuff you’d see in Japan, like that gothic lolita stuff? ”

Orihime’s eyes widened as she trained them on the traffic ahead. “Sounds like a character.” She didn’t know what else to ask about the stylist so she decided not to. She was trying to withhold judgment, but it wasn’t easy. Ulquiorra’s track record with the women who got close to him spoke for itself, and that this one was loud and pushy like Nel, around his age, and dressed like a lolita didn’t give her a lot of confidence. “Is she going to traveling with you for the entire tour?”

He raised one shoulder in a shrug. “I have no clue. Whenever someone talks about business or work I tune them out,” he replied.

“That’s a bad habit. You’ll get yourself in trouble that way,” she said with a shot chuckle. It was meant as a warning as much as a tease.

“It’s already gotten me into trouble once.”

“So maybe take it under advisement? You’re not a kid anymore.”

Ulquiorra sighed, then nodded. She was right. “I know. I should take better control of my life.”

“Yes, you should. If you let other people have control they will always do what’s best for themselves, regardless of how good or bad it is for you. Anyway…” she tried to think of another topic; she didn’t want to sit around and criticize him. Nothing came immediately to mind, though.

He knew that. Nel had shown him that. Nemu had shown him that too. Ulquiorra had to wonder what would happen if he let Orihime have the same control. He shook his head.

She saw it. “What? I’m not trying to get preachy, but I worry about you.”

“I know. It just feels like you’re judging me, though.” He glanced at her.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. Maybe she was judging him a bit. Still, she thought it needed to be said. “I am trying to be more communicative, though. Before we left my place you wanted to say something to me but you clammed up. Let’s not do the thing we did before; the assumptions thing. What did you want to say?”

“I was going to apologize again for fucking up,” Ulquiorra stated.

“Oh.”

“So I am sorry for fucking up everything and listening to others.”

“Okay.” She took a deep breath and let it go quietly. He seemed pissed off, not sorry. She crossed her legs and picked at the hem of her skirt. She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t really know what she wanted to say, plus she was feeling discouraged. Maybe she should have driven herself. She closed her mouth and worried her lip as she waited for the pink of her cheeks to cool off.

The atmosphere in the car was tense. He could feel it. Why did he always do this when around her? Why couldn’t he just enjoy her company? Ulquiorra sighed. “I love you,” he said quietly.

There was a pause before she replied, “I love you, too.” Her voice wavered a bit.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I was just trying to talk to you, and it feels like everything I say is making you angry. It makes me afraid of saying anything else.”

Oh. “It’s not that. I’m just trying to right my wrongs against you, Veggs.” Ulquiorra reached over and patted her leg.

“Okay,” she said, blowing out a breath and trying to accept what he said at face value. She looked at him and smiled a small, self-conscious smile when he glanced over.

He smiled back. “Let’s enjoy our time together, okay?”

“Okay, sounds like a good idea,” she agreed.

***

“This town is great,” Orihime enthused as they drove through Laguna Beach toward Ulquiorra’s place. “Beverly Hills is dazzling, but this place is more my speed, I think.”

A smile spread over his face when he heard those words. “I might bitch about it, but I really like Laguna Beach.”

“What do you do for fun? It seems like a really resorty kind of place.”

“I sit at home. Being by myself is fun for me. I swim. I go into the studio. I workout. I play video games or watch TV. Occasionally I’ll come into town and shop.”

“Sounds awesome,” she said with a chuckle, still soaking up the sights from the windows. “Where is your place?”

He pointed to the ocean. “Well,” he said, turning the car down the street lined with modern looking boxy houses. “I live--” he drove along for a minute letting the word hang, until he pulled into a driveway. “Here.”

“Oh my GOD!” she squealed as they pulled into the driveway and she got her first glimpse of the ocean from the walkway next to the garage. “You’re right here!” 

“Wait till you see my bedroom.”

She threw the door open as soon as the car was stopped and grabbed her bags. “I’m ready for you to show me!” she squealed, vibrating with excitement. 

Ulquiorra shook his head as he got out of the car. He locked the vehicle and then motioned for Orihime to follow him. “C’mon, this way,” he said, leading her to the door. “Now, it’s nothing like your place. It’s only like a bit over four thousand square feet, but I do have the ocean as my backyard.”

“It even smells good,” it sounded almost like she might cry. “I’m coming, hold on,” she said, finally returning her attention to Ulquiorra.

He laughed. Sometimes Orihime was so silly. He unlocked the double doors and opened one, holding it open for the woman.

She came in and her eyes swept the huge space. It didn’t have the towering ceilings of Urahara’s, but the picture windows gave a wide, unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. “It’s gorgeous,” she whispered, awestruck.

“It’s what my mom wanted. She bought it as an investment property. Everything came with the house. I mean there is a vase and plates missing that I broke, but… This is home for me… for now,” Ulquiorra said after he closed the door. He walked up behind Orihime and put his arms around her waist. “It’s got plenty of room.”

“I don’t need plenty of room. I just need this view and you and oh my god you get the sunset…” she turned around in his arms and looked up at his face, showing him an expression that could be read as ecstatic or tortured.

He grinned. “Yeah, and it’s kind of like your hair when the sun hits the water; gold and fire. Amber and carnelian. It made me think of you a lot. I’d always watch the sunset.”

The left side of her mouth pulled up into a grin. “You’re a poet, Mr. Cifer,” she said, tilting her head. “And a romantic? Since when?”

There was a little shake of his head. “Not a poet. I’m just me, Orihime. Do you want a tour or…?” He wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.

“In a little bit,” she said, lifting up on her toes to kiss him. She pressed her lips into his and pulled back after a couple of seconds. “I just want to commemorate the view,” she clarified before going back in, nipping at his upper lip with both of hers.

Well this was interesting. “Let me show you a better view,” he said in a seductive low voice.

“Lead the way, then.”

Ulquiorra led Orihime down the hall to the stairs. Once he got to the top, another set of double doors awaited them. He opened one of them and pulled her into the master suite. “This is my room… Rooms… A bedroom, bath, and two closets.”

The redhead’s mouth fell open. She was speechless for a good two minutes. Finally she breathed, “Fuckin’ A!”

“How eloquent,” he quipped as he walked into the room where the bed was. One wall was nothing but glass and showed the ocean.

“Yep, that’s me, Orihime Marie Eloquence Inoue,” she sassed back, as she walked past him toward the attached balcony. “Coffee tomorrow morning is out here, right?”

“If you want. I can make us some waffles or something and we can eat out there. I’ve never used it, though,” he admitted. 

“What? That is a travesty!” She said as she opened the door and stepped out onto the balcony, turning to look back in at him. “That is my middle name, by the way, Marie. Not Eloquence.”

He smirked at her. It was a cute name. “You already know mine.”

“I do. Murcielago is an uncommon name for a person. It suits you, though.” He hadn’t come out onto the balcony yet so she came back in to him. “Did you want to show me something else?”

“No,” Ulquiorra said, shaking his head. There was a reason why he didn’t go out on the balcony. “Outside makes me feel like I’m too small and the world is too big,” he replied.

“The world is big. Maybe tonight we can go look at the universe if it’s clear. That will make you feel small. I like that, though. It makes me feel like I’m just a happy piece of dust, passing through life, and all the screw ups and embarrassing moments and all that don’t really matter. Sometimes it’s comforting,” she said with a wistful expression. “Especially when the pressure is on and it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.”

Ulquiorra raised his brows. He didn’t want to feel small. He didn’t want to feel like a speck of dust. “I don’t like the feeling. It makes me… Agoraphobic, I guess. I can go out into the courtyard to swim, but at times it’s a lot to deal with.”

She looked at him with a confused expression. She didn’t know he felt that way. She wasn’t going to argue with him about it though. “Do you want to swim later? After it warms up a bit?”

“We don’t have to wait for it to warm up. That pool is heated. A nice eighty-three degrees, right now. Or it should be,” he said and then twisted his mouth to the side. “I need to get over myself and everything. So if you want to drink coffee tomorrow out there, we can.”

“Let’s see how it goes. No pressure,” she said. “So, if I wasn’t here, what would you be doing?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, I’m either up here because this is my little heaven or I’m in the pool or the studio. Occasionally I’ll park my ass on the couch downstairs.”

“I ask because I want to know how I can sneakily just insert myself into your life, you know, so you won’t even notice I’ve done it,” she chuckled. “What do you want to do now? I want to do everything but we can only do one thing at a time.”

Ulquiorra smiled. “It’s all overwhelming isn’t it?”

“A bit,” she said, peeking up at him and stepping forward. “Do you want to have me try on the ridiculous bikini and jump in the pool then?”

“Who says we need clothes? Maybe later,” he said, taking a step towards her. “How about a tour first and then we can end up in the pool?”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan,” she said, grinning at him.

He did show her around the place. They did swim. She wore the bikini and when he didn’t stop teasing her about it she took it off and used it as a projectile as payback before continuing on skinny dipping. They made love in his bed and watched television, had take out, and looked at the stars from  _ inside _ the room. The next morning they had waffles and coffee at the kitchen island and went swimming again and had sex many times and ended up spending the day together until dinner, which they had from a drive-thru before Ulquiorra took her back to Beverly Hills. Orihime was emotional when he dropped her off but tried to hide it. She wasn’t sure when she was going to see him again.

She woke up the next morning feeling terribly lonely. She had never gotten around to unpacking her things, and while she was out, her packages were delivered, so she spent the next two days setting herself up in the pool house. She texted Ulquiorra frequently but he replied only once or twice a day.

She had dinner with Yoruichi and Kisuke once more and she called Rukia a few times to help her find out where were the best places to buy items she needed or whatever. She got used to driving the Range Rover.

She wasn’t happy, though. It turned out being alone in a big, beautiful place was only very marginally better than being alone in a crummy dorm room or in Claire’s condo. It was still lonely. She found herself texting Ichigo and even commenting on Shu and Kira’s new YouTube Channel just to try to get some human interaction.

It still wasn’t enough.

On the first day of April, Rukia called her up and texted her the directions to Soul Society’s main office. Orihime drove to the office and met Rukia’s brother, Byakuya, who was a beautiful, elegant man with absolutely no chill. He was charming, but polite in an odd, off-putting way. Rukia would not stop talking him up. Orihime was not loving it. 

The next person she met was Hanataro. He was a mousy, nervous guy who would probably drink bleach if Orihime asked him to. He told her he’d be calling her up from time to time to do some session singing as back-up for other acts. He showed her around the recording studios and dropped her off at Kisuke’s office at the end of the day.

“So, how was your first day?” the blond asked.

“It was a lot to take in,” Orihime admitted. “It was good to be occupied, though. The last three days have made me antsy.”

“Good. It’s good to have a fire under you. You can call it a day and then we’ll have you come in early tomorrow and you can record a demo of your vocals for your back-up singer portfolio. If you want to record anything else, you’ll have the room for a few hours, so have at it. Hanataro and Rukia will help you out and we have some entry-level sound engineers here that will use your session for training purposes, so no promises on quality, but it should be far and away more polished than anything you’ve been able to produce on your own, just with the equipment at your disposal.”

“Wow, thank you,” Orihime said. This was great. She’d have to pick some songs. “Do you think I could do some recording for my YouTube channel?”

“Yes, I’m glad you asked. Don’t fall behind there. Your star had been rising, and I understand that you would want to lay low while the lawsuit blows over, but you can’t afford to become irrelevant either. Keep your social media active. Already the lawsuit news is dying down.”

“Yoruichi mentioned that there was a lot of information from the program I put on that girl’s computer. Is anything useful?” Orihime had forgotten that Yoruichi had asked her to keep that quiet.

“Hmm, yes. I’m not sure how useful it is without damaging your reputation further, but it’s good to have in our back pocket. Maybe someday it can come to light but for now… I am not comfortable acting on it. You will want to steer clear of that Michelle girl and Mr. Cifer’s ex-girlfriend, Nelliel. She has actively tried to sabotage your reputation and your relationship, and she continues to do so. Anyway, enough of that. You go home and pick some things to record and we’ll see you here tomorrow morning at eight, alright?”

“Okay, see you, Kisuke.”

Orihime decided to try to call Ulquiorra. She hadn’t heard his voice in a few days. She started the car and used the integrated bluetooth to make the call.

“Goddammit Riruka!” Was all she heard when he picked up.

The past few weeks for Ulquiorra had been trying. Apparently there was a lot of information that he had missed in those meetings. The green eyed man had to play catch up and get himself up to speed when all he wanted to do was see Orihime. Nanao was in Laguna Beach almost every day along with the new stylist who did nothing but yell at him for his lack of fashion.

The new addition to his team was only around to help pick out his clothes for his “image”. When Orihime called she was in the middle of yelling at him for not having more accessories. “Hello, my love,” he finally said as he shut the door to his bedroom.

Orihime’s mood was only buoyed a small amount by his endearment. “I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” she asked in a small voice. She felt small. Insignificant. A piece of dust in his big life.

“No, no, no. Riruka is being a pain in my ass. I’m going to be gone for eight weeks and they’re acting like I’m leaving forever. Like my entire wardrobe has been planned for this tour.” Ulquiorra sighed, feeling defeated. “Kinda want to skip town with you and hang up this being famous bullshit. How are things going on your end?”

She tried not to think about it too clearly. As it was, she already had tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “It’s been quiet until today. I came to the office and met Rukia’s brother and the session coordinator. He is this little quiet guy. He seems like a pushover. Anyway, tomorrow I get to record a demo for doing back-up vocals. If there is enough time I can record other stuff, too.”

Well shit. There went his plans. He hoped he didn’t sound too disappointed, “That’s great. Exposure and learning how much people in this city can be assholes is a good thing. I was going to get away from these two tomorrow and come up to see you, but if you’re working then I can see you another day before I leave.”

She didn’t really want to know the answer but she had to know. “What day are you leaving?”

“The fifteenth,” he answered in a flat tone. “We are flying to Vegas and after that show, we get on a tour bus. I miss you and I’m sorry it seems like I’ve been distant and distracted, but Nanao told me to make it seem like I’m uninterested in you. I don’t know what camp Riruka is in so, that’s why I’ve been quiet.”

“Oh,” she said. She felt defeated, too. She didn’t really trust her voice so she took a couple of deep breaths before she asked her next question. “Did you have a chance to see that therapist again?”

Fuck. A long breath left him. He had canceled the last appointment with the good doctor because he had been busy. His next appointment was supposed to be in a couple of days. “This week is my session with her. Why?”

“Just wondering. I miss you. It’s lonely, you know?” she asked him in a thin voice.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I wish I could be with you all day, but you know how we are when we get together. We did nothing of importance while you were down here.”

Ouch. “Yeah, I guess not. Well, I’m getting into traffic now, so I better let you go. Call me when you have some time, okay? I love you.”

He didn’t mean it like that, but he heard a tinge of hurt in her words. “Orihime, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I wanted to record a song with you while you were here and I wanted to take a walk down the beach with you, not just in front of the house. I know we made love and we had a nice time being around each other, but you’re right when you said we lose ourselves in each other. I miss you a lot. I’m serious about saying fuck it to all of this,” Ulquiorra said.

She sighed. “You said that in Austin, too. Do you seriously want to quit? You just said it’s not good how we are when we’re with each other.” She couldn’t say anything else. She was going to have to pull over if she became any more emotional than she already was.

“Baby, do you want me to come up there?” Ulquiorra wanted to see her badly. He could hear how strained her voice sounded.

“Yeah, but you’re too busy,” she squeaked. “I don’t want to get you in trouble.’

He shrugged, “What are they going to do about it? And I can make time for you, Orihime. There are clearly things we need to talk about, still. Also, if I come up there it saves me a trip. I can stay with you for three or four days. We can live it up in Beverly Hills.”

“Really? You don’t need to be home for Riruka or Nanao? You don’t mind hanging out in the pool house while I’m at the office? Or do you have business up here?”

“Nan can make excuses for me, and like I said, I’ve got the therapist appointment this week. It sounds like you need me. I know I need you. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to hold you,” Ulquiorra replied. “I know it’s only been a few days, but to me it’s a while.”

“To me it’s been a lifetime,” she admitted. “I’d be better about it, but you’re going to be gone such a long time soon, and I…” her throat closed up. She was such a fucking baby.

Ulquiorra was on the move. He walked into the second closet, pulling out his trusty bookbag. He went into his walk-in closet and got out five pairs of boxers and socks from the built in dresser. He was bound and determined to spend time with her. “I’m coming up tonight. I’m going to stay until Tuesday, or do you want me to stay longer?”

“As much as you can,” she answered. “I know you have stuff to do, too.”

“Not really. My schedule is clear until I leave. Riruka and Nanao just have shit for me to do.” He knew he was lying to her. He had several meetings to attend and the therapy appointment. Ulquiorra needed to spend time with her, though.

“Okay, I’ll stop and get something for us to eat and be home in about an hour.”

Ulquiorra finished getting his stuff packed. “Well depending on traffic you might want to hold off. It takes me at least ninety minutes to get there. That’s on a good day,” he said. “I’ll call you when I’m closer?”

“That’s good because I am going to have to cook something; I’m not made of money,” she laughed, her mood improving. It was true though; her last paid gig was with Grimmjow and those funds were almost out.

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her not to worry about it, but Ulquiorra didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm. He had money, but this seemed important for Orihime to do. “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

***

Orihime had picked up the cheapest stuff she could get her hands on. Well, almost. She splurged in a nice avocado and the organic grape tomatoes. She brought everything back to the pool house and put together a chopped salad and some baked chicken. It was simple, but good for their diets and wouldn’t go bad waiting for Ulquiorra to show up.

When he got there, Ulquiorra did as the other time he visited the huge home. He pulled up and parked his car on the street, then walked to the gate, pressing the buzzer. He had stopped at a place along the way and gotten Orihime some flowers. He also bought himself a toothbrush to keep at her house.

“Hello?” Orihime said through the gate speaker.

“It’s your stalker,” Ulquiorra joked. “Let me in.”

Orihime pressed the button to let him in and said, “Come on down and let yourself in, I’m just finishing a few dishes.”

So he did, avoiding the big house and using the path beside it. When he got to the pool house, Ulquiorra knocked on the door before he let himself in to the other building. “Orihime?”

“Yes! I’m in the kitchen! How are you?” She called out, sounding happier by far than she had earlier that afternoon.

The first thing he put through the door of the kitchen were the flowers and then he peeked at her from around the frame. “Hey,” Ulquiorra said with a smile. “You sound… happy.”

“What’s this!?” she asked, eyeing the flowers. “You didn’t have to do that. They’re beautiful!” she exclaimed as she approached him and ran her hands up his arms. “I missed you.”

Wasting no time, the green-eyed male put his arms around Orihime and kissed her. “I missed you. The next time I kidnap you, I’m not bringing you back,” he said. “Want me to put my bag in your room? I also kind of brought a toothbrush to stay here.”

She narrowed her eyes and smiled at him. “Perfect. You make yourself at home. Are you hungry? Dinner is ready when you are,” she said before giving him a peck on the lips and taking the flowers from him. She smelled them and looked up at his face. “You know, you keep this up and you’ll be next on my list.”

“Next on your list for what?”

“Well, you’d have to wait until my divorce from Dr. Pirate Lord is finalized, but my list of fantasy husbands,” she blushed and laughed at her own joke.

“So many husbands,” he teased. “First Cloud, then this pirate lord, Snape or was it just Rickman?”

“Just Rickman,” she clarified.

A laugh left his throat. “And now Obscuras IV,” Ulquiorra said.

“That’s right. And I’m sorry, you can’t say no. That’s how it goes with these fantasy marriages. You’ll be stuck with me until I find another 2D character,” she said, then paused, putting a finger to her lower lip. “It complicates things that you’re also a real life person, but I think I can work with it.”

“Well, we’re stuck together until the end of time then,” he said and stepped away from Orihime. “I’m gonna go upstairs and put this in your room. Did you stay in the same room?”

“Yep,” she answered. “I’ll get dinner set up while you put your stuff away.”

He had another surprise for her but couldn’t put it where it needed to be. Ulquiorra took note of where her purse was and then went upstairs to Orihime’s room. He took the plastic bag he was carrying and unwrapped the toothbrush and put it in the bathroom. He found a spot to put a pair of pajama pants that would be staying there. The rest of his clothes he kept in the bag which he put on the floor beside the bed. 

Orihime had appeared to claim the left side of the bed as her own. Ulquiorra furrowed his brow as he thought about it. She had slept on the left side of the bed in Austin. She had done the same thing when they were at his dad’s house. 

He took off his shoes and then went back downstairs, tromping down the steps. “You really like that room, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah. I liked the one upstairs on the top of the steps too but we had already started sleeping in the other one and it was just more familiar then. I tried hanging out in the other one but it didn’t feel like home,” she explained, not really putting any extra significance into the thought. “Do you want any salad dressing? There is lime juice on here already to keep the avocado from browning but that’s it,” she asked as she plated the salad.

“Um, if you have any, ranch, but I don’t need it. The room you picked it nice. It has a nice vibe to it,” he said. 

“If I have ranch… This is America, isn't it?” she asked with a grin, pulling a bottle of the white dressing out of the fridge. She turned to get the chicken out of the oven and once that was out she grabbed some silverware and brought everything to the table.

“Don’t worry. If it sucks, there is frozen pizza. I thought I’d try something healthy, though,” she said, passing him his silverware and a napkin.

He took them from her with a smile. “I have a surprise for you,” he said after she sat down.

“Oh yeah?” she asked, turning back to the fridge and grabbing a couple bottles of water before sitting down across the table from him.

“You’ll get it later, but I just wanted to give you a heads up about it. This looks awesome by the way. You didn’t need to cook for me. I appreciate it,” Ulquiorra flashed her a smile.

She returned the smile. “Technically I cooked for us, so you don’t have to bear the burden of appreciation alone,” she laughed. “I really hope you like it though. And, now you’ve got me wondering about this mystery something,” she added as she stabbed at the salad.

Green eyes narrowed at her. He didn’t think she would accept this gift, but she probably needed it. “Um, I want to render your services,” Ulquiorra said before taking a bite of chicken. He chewed slowly to avoid saying anything else. 

An auburn brow arched. “What kind of services are we talking about? Housekeeping? Chauffeuring? Don’t tell me you bought more plants that you need me to raise, because I gotta tell you, Vega and Strife gave me a run for my money.”

“No. No vegetable children. Was Vega more of a pain in the ass than Strife? We could get a moss ball and raise it together,” Ulquiorra said. He was joking around. “When I get back from my tour, I want you to record a song with me. I’m willing to pay you half now and the other half when it’s recorded.”

She gave him a confused smile. “You don’t have to pay me to record with you.”

His mouth formed a thin line and Ulquiorra picked up the bottle of ranch to put on his salad. When he was done, he spoke. “Orihime, do not give your services away for free. You’re talented. You deserve to be paid for using your voice.”

She took a bite and nodded while she chewed, her eyes expressing a thoughtful countenance. When she swallowed, she responded, “I guess you’re right, it just feels weird to have  _ you _ pay me. I guess you’re a pro, now, so it’s a new set of circumstances. But still… You’re different.”

“This has nothing to do with my label. This is just between you and me,” he answered. Ulquiorra shook his head but had a smile on his face. “Even if I’m your lover or boyfriend or fantasy husband, you still deserve to get paid for a job. Do not let anyone take you for a free ride. This place is a lot different than Ohio and doing small time gigs. This place is different than Austin.”

“Okay, okay, okay. So this isn’t just some YouTube video, I take it?” she asked as she cut into her chicken.

Ulquiorra shook his head. “No, it’s for our ears only. I have this idea to put together an EP of us. How it was supposed to be. Vega IV; me and you.”

She pouted a bit, her brows knitting together as she tried to keep from getting too emotional. “Ulquiorra… that is so sweet.”

He nodded his head, before he set a bank envelope on the tabletop, sliding it to her. He didn’t say anything or look at her as he took a couple of bites. 

She picked it up and peeked inside. “Whoa,” she said, then swallowed hard. “This is generous, Ulquiorra. Are you sure?” There had to be a thousand dollars… she counted quickly. Yep. There were ten hundred dollar bills.

“Veggs,” he said in a way that left no room for arguments. “You’ll get the other half when we’re done with it. I’m only expecting the practicing to take a weekend and the recording another weekend.”

“Well, you’re the boss, so you just tell me when and I’ll be there,” she said, setting the envelope out of the way. She looked down at her plate and smiled. She wasn’t stupid. She knew why he was doing this. She was really in no position to refuse it either. She wasn’t going to ask Kisuke for spending money, and she had no idea when she might get paid or get jobs from Soul Society. She smiled as she looked back at him. “Thank you.”

Here he had been prepared to debate this matter but she just blew him away by accepting it. “No worries,” Ulquiorra replied.

“You get to be as picky as you want now, you know. If you don’t like how I sing something you get to say so and make me redo it. If you are paying me you don’t have to go easy on me.”

“If that’s the case,then you might get more than you bargained for. This is for me and you,” he said. “I’m not going to be picky about anything. I mean… there are perks to this. I get you all to myself for two weekends at my house.”

“Excuse me, there will be no funny business during business. You can’t pay me for that. That’s illegal as well as unethical.”

“Hah!” he laughed, throwing his head back. “There are things called after business hours and breaks.”

She sighed and stretched her legs out under the table. “Why don’t we call this what it is. You’re lending me money because I am broke and I will pay you back in studio time at a later date. That way we can avoid all the morally gray implications.”

Ulquiorra sat back and folded his arms over his chest. “This is not a loan. I want your voice on this EP. I want you to sing with me and I don’t think that you should do it for free just because we’re together.”

He ended up arguing his case anyway. “Okay. It’s a deal. Consider it a verbal contract.” She sat back up and took a drink of water. “I love you,” she muttered as she set the water down. She was amused by his tenacity.

“I know.”


	10. Feedback Loop

The therapist was confused when Ulquiorra handed her a piece of paper with his handwriting scrawled onto it. “What is this?”

“Its a list of things I need to discuss. Things I want to talk about,” Ulquiorra replied. “These are big issues that I need help dealing with.”

“Nel? Nemu? Orihime? Steve? Your mother? The party?” Soifon looked at the items which took up most of the page. “Some of the stuff on here is serious, Ulquiorra. I’m not going to be nice to you when discussing this. I’m not one to coddle a person.”

He nodded. “I know, which is why I think you can help me more than anyone else.”

“Okay, you also have your eating issues, irrational anger, using people, and abandonment issues.” The doctor paused as she read some of the other items. “I don’t understand this. You know you let other people run your life so you can avoid responsibility? You know that you put your faith and trust into the wrong people? You know that you have an inability to see what you do wrong to people or how badly you hurt them?”

“Look, just because I’m aware of these things, doesn’t mean I know how to stop doing them.”

The doctor pursed her lips. “You’re already halfway there by admitting you have a problem. Which of these is the most important to you?”

He shrugged. They were all important to him. “Um, I’m not really sure at the moment. I mean, they all are things of importance, but I don’t know how to rank them from bad to traumatic, or hey, that’s normal to you’re a fucked up individual.”

She nodded as if accepting some sage advice. “You seem rather wise for your age, but I’m sure you do stupid teenage stuff.” 

Ulquiorra laughed. It went on for several moments. “You wouldn’t believe some of the dumb shit I’ve done in the past couple of years. The other day my girlfriend said I was her fantasy husband and just for a brief second, I wanted to propose to her.”

“Is this an issue?”

“Orihime seems like the type of woman who will want to get married and have kids later on down the line. I don’t see myself getting married because of what happened between my parents.”

Soifon wrote something down on her notepad she always had with her during these sessions. “You know you’re not your parents, right?”

“I’m aware of that. I seem to be a mix of their worst traits, though. I don’t see myself having kids, either. I don’t want the responsibility of molding a human into respectable person,” he answered. “I guess we should start where the trouble began.”

“Where did the trouble begin?”

He wanted to tell the therapist when he moved to Ohio, but that was so cliche. He didn’t really remember his mom when he was that young. “It started when Nel began to push the boundaries of our friendship.”

They didn’t get very far that session, but Ulquiorra felt better than he had in weeks about Nel. He had been right in pushing her away. What wasn’t right was the fact that he kept roping her back into his life.

“I know you’re going to be going on tour. I just want to remind you that I also do video sessions, and you have my number and email if you’re feeling like talking,” Soifon said as she walked Ulquiorra out to the reception area.

He nodded his thanks and then left the doctor’s office. 

***

Orihime had gone with Ulquiorra into town for his therapy appointment and did some shopping nearby. When he texted her that he was finished, she finished up and met him at the curb a few minutes later.

“How was the doc today?” she asked as she got into the car, arms full of a couple bags.

“Same old shit that I’m trying to hash out,” Ulquiorra said. He smiled at her. “How was your shopping?”

“Great. I got you something,” she said, holding up a small bag. “You said Riruka bitches at you for not having enough accessories.”

An eyebrow was raised in question. “Riruka can bitch, you shouldn’t spend your money on me. I chose to live an unfashionable lifestyle,” he said.

“Pffft, that was just an excuse anyway. I wanted to get it for you. Take a look.”

He took the bag and looked inside. Ulquiorra didn’t listen to the stylist because she always insulted his Hufflepuff bracelet and watch. “This is--Orihime, you didn’t have to… I love it.” He carefully extracted the star shaped pendant and ball chain necklace from the bag.

She smiled. It wasn’t extremely high quality or especially stylish, but she had chosen it for a reason. “Now you _can_ take Vega on tour with you, if you want,” she chuckled.

“I was going to take Vega with me anyway. I was thinking about getting the constellation tattooed on me.”

“You already have the lyre. How many tattoos do you want to get anyway?”

Was she judging him because he had tattoos? Did she not like the idea of him having tattoos? She didn’t seem to like his piercings either. Ulquiorra gave her a confused look before he shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you think I have enough or that I shouldn’t get anymore?”

“It’s not up to me, Ulquiorra. It’s your body. I was just wondering if you had some kind of idea. I mean, I am not a tattoo person, personally. I won’t get one ever, I think. But I think if I _was_ going to, I would probably plan it in excruciating detail, and if I were to get more than one… it would be an agonizing decision about design and placement and I would think about how it would look with clothes and bla bla bla… I don’t think you seem as concerned about it in that way but I wondered if you had like, an “ultimate Ulquiorra” image in mind.”

She must not like his choices for ink. He frowned and looked at his hands which were in his lap. “I don’t really know. I guess to look as distinguished as my dad but better looking? The label approves of the piercings and the tattoos. I’m sorry that you don’t like them.”

“Why do you think I don’t like them? I like them. If you like them, if you want them, then they’re a part of you as much as your eyes or your smile. You’re my favorite thing to look at,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, don’t assume things, remember?”

“Sorry. It’s just… I get so many dirty looks from wrinkled old ladies that--I’m used to people judging about how I look. To some I must look like a freak. I’m too pale; my eyes are too green. I’m not expressive.”

She scoffed. Then she scoffed again. Then she scoffed a third time for good measure; a long, drawn-out one. “Are you comparing me to wrinkled old ladies?!” yet another scoff. “I will have you know that I am smooth as a peach, for now, anyway. And as for people judging you for how you look… hashtag relatable.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “I know you’re smooth as a peach,” Ulquiorra replied. “Also you’re older than me, so… there’s that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, if you don’t want to wear the necklace you can always use it as a car decoration or something. And I think a constellation tattoo is awesome and classic but not like, sailor jerry classic,” she said and smiled at him.

“Shhh, I’m wearing the necklace.” As if to prove a point, Ulquiorra put it on. “Anywhere else you need to go or are we going back to your place?”

“Let’s go home. I need to check my emails. Hanataro mentioned something yesterday about a potential session on Tuesday and I want to make sure I know what I’m getting into. And then we can sing to each other while we do our laundry. I don’t want to get rusty.

Ulquiorra grinned at her. “I have to do my own laundry? Such a tragedy,” he pouted then smiled again. “I was thinking maybe we can sit on the couch and cuddle? Maybe watch a movie? You know… couple stuff.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I do know. We can do that, too. Let’s go.”

***

Monday morning, Ulquiorra woke up to texts from Nemu. He read them and then looked over at the redhead sleeping beside him. 

{ it would be a shame if someone were to notify ER that you’re still hanging around her.

{ You have absolutely no taste. We could have had something. I could have blown your mind.

He was going to have to tell Orihime about this. Rolling over, he kissed her shoulder. “Veggs, wake up.”

She groaned. “Is it really morning already?” she asked, rolling toward him and rubbing her eyes.

“Yup and it’s almost time for you to get up and go to work,” he said in a quiet tone. “I got texts from Nemu this morning.”

“Ew, I’m sorry. I’m surprised you didn’t block her number yet,” she murmured, still not fully awake. She pulled herself up into a seated position and tried to push through her mental fog. “What did she say?” she asked after bending down to kiss Ulquiorra.

He sighed. According to the Espada Records guidelines, which was their version of a handbook, Ulquiorra wasn’t allowed to block anyone who was involved with his project. He shook his head, realizing he needed to ask his mother if that included Nemu. She had been involved with the creative process, but now she wasn’t. “A threat about notifying the label that we’re hanging out and telling me I have no taste. Good morning by the way. I’m sad that I had to wake you up this way.”

Orihime snickered. “She’s one to talk. I mean, I guess she likes you, so that is a point in her favor, but she likes Aizen too, so it’s a wash. Do you really think the label doesn’t know about us? Your assistant knows.”

“I have no clue. I mean, they probably do know, but no one is saying anything because the lawsuit business is dying down.”

“Well, if she starts making trouble, Kisuke has stuff on her that will make her shut up. Or at least discredit her enough to make whatever she says worthless. He’s not in the business of ruining lives, though, so he’s just sitting on it.”

Ulquiorra nodded. He could understand this, but Nemu had already done damage to him; psychological damage to him. He just wanted to see her burn for what she did to him. “Okay,” he said. “It makes me wonder if she’s following me around or something.”

Orihime did not like that idea one bit. “Maybe you should get a dashcam or something, I don’t know. She scares me though. She’s not right.”

“I know she’s not, and I don’t want to know if she’s following me. That means I would have to see her and acknowledge her presence.” Ulquiorra sighed as if the whole thing was a bother. “What time do you get off of work today? I want to spend as much time as I can with you before I head back tomorrow morning.”

“Eleven. I’m just going back to finish up some stuff for my YouTube channel. Kisuke doesn’t want me to lose momentum and thinks the worst has blown over with the lawsuit,” she stretched and then let her body slump over Ulquiorra’s. “I sang some more songs about you. It turns out I sing most of my songs about you,” she blushed and kissed his cheek. “I’d ask you to come with me, but I think you hanging out at a competitor’s office would be more troublesome than having your label know you’re hanging out with me.

He let out a chuckle. “I’d just distract you by making innuendos and harassing you. I can’t seem to keep my hands off of you, Vega. ”

“Well, someday you might get bored. For minutes at a time, at least,” she teased. “But, you’re right. I want to get done as quickly as possible, and I’m getting kicked out of the studio at quarter to eleven, so I better get ready to go. By the time I get back I should have a video uploaded,” she smiled at him and pushed off of his body. She paused as she loomed over him, taking in the sight of his collarbones and breastbone and ribcage. They were back to a much more healthy state of visibility. She smiled and put her palm lightly on his chest. “You’ve done really well. I’m proud of you,” she murmured.

“Yeah?” he asked as he sat up. Ulquiorra leaned over and kissed her. It was just a peck on the lips. “For what?”

“For getting healthier. For seeing the therapist. For dealing with the crazies. For finishing your album… But yeah, mostly for getting better. I know you’re still working on it, but I acknowledge your progress.”

A smile played over his mouth, making Ulquiorra blush. He didn’t realize how much he needed to hear those words from Orihime. Everyone said he had been doing a good job, but none of them mattered. “Um, thank you. It means a lot that you see that.”

She smiled at him in a way that made her eyes almost disappear. “I do see it,” she said, kissing his forehead and then giving him a tight hug. While her face was near his ear, she added, “I’m glad I believed in you.”

“You better get ready, or else I’m going to make you late for work.”

She smirked and got up and out of bed. After her shower she got dressed, kissed Ulquiorra goodbye, and drove off, eating a granola bar to go. She listened to the playback of the two songs she had recorded after doing her demo the previous week. They sounded amazing compared to the quality of her previous videos. She recorded some backing vocals for one of them and decided to leave the other one as is. She left the sound guys to work on it while she visited Kisuke’s office, who had waved as he walked through the sound booth to peek at her.

“Knock knock,” she said as she stuck her head into the doorway. 

“Oh, Hime-chan! Come in. How’s everything going? I see that Mr. Cifer is still staying with you?”

“Yeah, he’s gotta go back tomorrow though,” she sighed. “I hate to mention it, but that Nemu Kurotsuchi is starting to harass him about me. I don’t suppose there is anything in your drives that can make her stop?”

Urahara folded his hands on top of his desk and sighed. “There is a lot that can make her stop. But it’s a risk, Orihime. A big risk. Maybe you and Mr. Cifer stop over at the residence for a casual dinner. Or better yet, I can barbecue by the pool. I have that huge grill and I never use it. We can talk about it after we eat, okay?”  
  


Orihime smiled. “I’ll run it past him, but I think it’s a good idea. Thank you, Kisuke,” she said, smiling at the older man.

“Alright. Text me when you decide and if we’re a go I’ll pick up some surf and turf. Yoruichi has a function tonight, so it will just be the three of us.”

Orihime nodded and went back to the sound guys.

***

“I’m back!” Orihime yelled in a song-song voice as she came through the glass doors of the pool house. 

Ulquiorra looked at her from where he sat on the plush couch. He’d been watching some show on Netflix. He’d been doing that since she left the house. “Hey, how was work?” he asked.

“It was great! I have something for us to do for a couple minutes,” she said, holding up a CD from her purse. “If you don’t mind recording me lip sync. Or you can go ahead and be the director for my music video,” she laughed. “But first there is something I need to run past you.”

An eyebrow was raised in question. “What is it?” he asked in a wary voice.

“I talked to Kisuke today about the information he has about Nemu. He’s willing to talk with us about it -no promises to release it- but he’ll hear us out and explain what he has. In return, we have to let him grill the three of us steaks and lobster and eat poolside. I have a less revealing swimsuit; I bought one on Saturday,” she said as if it would sweeten the deal.

It was probably in his best interest to take this offer, but Ulquiorra had his reservations about listening to Urahara. “Why would he help me? How does he have information on Nemu? I know he’s been part of your life, but I don’t really trust him, Orihime.”

“I know you don’t, but the reason he has the information is me. After I moved my stuff out of Shu’s place, I reached out to Nel, as you know. That was the night I got those screenshots about what she was planning for Tier’s party. Anyway, she recorded me taking screenshots of what I saw on Michelle’s computer; it was all emails and direct messages on social media. It was able to record everything I took _off_ of the computer, but it couldn’t see what I put _on_ it. Long story short, Kisuke has remote access to Michelle’s accounts. She’s been involved not only with conspiring with Nel against us for petty reasons, but also she’s been hosting a shared cloud drive that both Aizen and Nemu have access to.”

Ulquiorra gave her an unimpressed look. There would be moments that he would miss Nel, but then he just had to look in the mirror and see that X on his neck to make him realize how badly she had screwed up everything. He also didn’t like it when Orihime played these games with Nel. Nel was far more conniving than his girlfriend. He was thankful that Nel was in Ohio and Orihime was in California, now. They didn’t have to worry about his former friend. “I’ll listen to what he has to say,” he replied.

“Okay. I’ll let him know,” she said, a bit taken aback by his attitude. She turned to her purse and took out her phone, then walked over to the kitchen island and took a seat as she tapped out a text to Urahara. “Did you eat already?”

He shook his head. “I had cereal this morning and that’s about it. I’ve not really moved from the couch,” he said. “Why, besides the impromptu barbeque?”  
  


“Because it’s almost time for lunch. I’m hungry. I’m going to make a sandwich, do you want one?”  
  


Scrambling off the furniture, Ulquiorra followed her into the kitchen. “Do you want help?”

“If you want to grab something to drink or whatever. I’m just going to throw some stuff on some bread,” she replied, grabbing some leftover tomatoes and lettuce and avocado and then standing in front of the open fridge considering her options. “Any requests?”

“Is there any of the chicken left?” Ulquiorra said as he grabbed a glass of water for himself. “Do you want bottled water or is tap okay?”

“Tap is fine, but we ate all that chicken. Is ham okay, or should I fry some eggs?”

“Ham is fine.” He got Orihime a glass of water and placed both on the table. “So… what’s with the CD?”

“A couple songs for my YouTube channel. Want to have a listen?”

Ulquiorra looked at her like she had another head. “Of course I do. And you said you want to make a music video?”

“Yeah. I have the audio, but no video to put with it. Go ahead and pop it in, we can listen while we eat. I think it turned out pretty good,” she said, not sounding particularly proud, but not down on herself either. “I’m thinking I should post the second one first, it kind of feeds into the we’re-not-together-at-the-moment narrative Espada wants to spin.”

He went into the living room where the stereo system sat. It was rather high end stuff, but figured it out after a couple of minutes. He was walking back into the kitchen when he heard her singing. “What song is this?” Ulquiorra asked.

“It’s called “This Feeling”, by the Chainsmokers. They recorded it as a duet but it works as a solo. I listened to it a lot when i was living with your dad.”

Oh. She listened to it when they were broken up. He sighed as he listened to the song. When it ended, he pressed the remote to pause the music. “You don’t feel like that now, do you?”

“I do, I think it’s a song about self-determination. I mean, at that time it was more like a fuck you anthem to Renji. If I heard “Get over it, Red,” once per shift, I heard it a thousand. Now it could apply to Espada, which is why I think it’s more politic _not_ to post it right now.”

“I agree. I don’t want them breathing down our necks. Should we listen to the next song?” Without waiting for an answer he pressed play.

“Here is your sandwich,” she said as the song started. “This is “Back to You” by Selena Gomez; I started listening to it after Tier’s party and it has been in heavy rotation since. I think it sends Espada the message they want to hear.”

The lyrics hit him hard again, and Ulquiorra found himself staring at the table while it played. Even when it ended he kept his eyes pointed down. “I’m sorry,” he said to Orihime.

“Hmm?” she questioned through a full mouth. Of course she had chosen that moment to take a monster bite.

“I said that I’m sorry.”

“You say that a lot these days,” she said when she had finally swallowed down the majority of what was in her mouth. “You don’t say much else, though. It makes it hard to talk about, if that’s what you want to do.”

Ulquiorra tore the crust of the sandwich but didn’t pick it up. “Orihime, what do you want me to say? What do you want me to talk about? I didn’t say much when we were together in Ohio. I don’t know what you want to know.”

Her brows pressed together as she regarded him. He had a habit of apologizing, and then when asked for clarification to get defensive and clam up. Apparently his therapist hadn’t addressed that issue yet. “I said if _you_ want to talk about it. You’re the one who keeps apologizing. If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t. Don’t apologize either, then.”

Okay. She wanted him to talk about it. Fine. He would. “I’m sorry that I made out with Nel for no reason other than the fact that she was something I was familiar with in the past. I’m sorry I left you in Ohio. I’m sorry I listened to other people. I’m sorry I broke your heart. I’m sorry for what happened after my father’s Thanksgiving party. I’m sorry about what happened in December. I’m just sorry.” Ulquiorra crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a look at her.

“Is that so? Because you look pissed off,” she said, wiping crumbs off her hands onto her plate and staring back at him with a hard, guarded expression. Sure, this was the first time he had acknowledged these things by name. It should have meant something, but the way he delivered it made her question things.

“I’m pissed off at myself. I’m angry that I allowed all that to happen. Maybe the Nemu thing was karma. I don’t know. Maybe I deserved what happened for what I did to you.”

She crossed her arms and tried really hard not to roll her eyes. “Karma? Really? Ulquiorra, it wasn’t karma. It was that you just keep doing the same thing with letting life take you for a ride. That’s not karma. That’s something else. You didn’t deserve what Nemu did anymore than you deserved what Nel did. They’re bad people.” She stopped herself and sighed and looked at the fridge as she tried to organize her thoughts. She felt like what she was saying was falling of deaf ears. Then there was some disappointment that she was trying to keep from ballooning out of control. He couldn’t apologize without turning it into a sob story for himself. Whatever. What happened to him had sucked, but it felt like he brought it up to deflect responsibility. They events were not directly related. Well, to a degree they were but… Her lips twisted to the side. There was nothing she could say to make him understand. 

He wanted to push himself away from the table, storm upstairs,grab his things, and leave, but Ulquiorra stayed where he was at. “You keep telling me this; I let life take me for a ride. Did you ever stop to consider that I do that to cope with things? I can’t function at times, so I let people made choices for me? Maybe I feel like I deserved it because I used you just like I used them. I can’t deny that. I have to face it. Only I love you, and it makes me feel like shit because of what I did. You can sit there and judge me all you’d like, Orihime. I’m new to this whole relationship thing and being close to someone on an intimate level.”

“That’s BS and you know it. Even if you didn’t romantically love Nel, you were close to her for many years. You were intimate with her for several years. You were in a relationship with her even if it didn’t fit your idea of what a relationship should be. And yes, it is very, very obvious that letting people tell you what to do is your coping mechanism. It’s obvious to everyone. It is not healthy, though. That is what I’ve been trying to tell you for almost three years. You think it’s some kind of secret? You practically wave it around like a flag. These people who take advantage of you aren’t master manipulators or anything. They just see someone who doesn’t want to resist and ply their wishes on you. As for you loving me and using me… I don’t even know what to say about that.”

“Just because I’ve seen Nel naked and we’ve done things doesn’t mean we were close. Do you think I told her anything? No, she had to read my journals just like you did. She had to read my messages to find anything out. I was not in a relationship with her,” he replied, calm as he could be. “I’m really tired of you trying to enforce that idea onto me. I do not want to hear it. What is it that you want? You want me to tell you what I said to my therapist? Do you want to hear about all the problems I’ve faced since Nel decided I’d be a good thing to experiment with?”

‘I want to hear anything you want to tell me,” she said, still guarded. “I don’t want you to tell me things that you don’t want to tell me. I don’t want to be one of those people that manipulates you. I’ve never wanted to. I wouldn’t be able to be with someone who let me do that to him.”

He stared at her for several moments. Everything had been fine until this morning; until those text messages came in. “I’ve never let you do that. I’ve tried, but I just can’t. What I want from you is to accept my apology. I’m doing everything in my power to try and stop this behavior. And it seems like it’s not enough and I have to keep saying that I’m sorry.”

“The thing is I don’t know what you’re apologizing for. It feels like at first you were sorry you got caught. Then you were sorry for the next thing and the next thing. But you have never just looked me in the eyes and said “Orihime, I was wrong and I have no excuse.” You’ve never granted me the power to refuse your apology because you always attach some excuse or sad experience of your own to it. How could I not at least tentatively accept your apologies when there is always some emotional bribery involved? On the other hand, I can’t really accept them because of the same reason.”

His mouth became a thin line. Warning bells were going off in his head; telling him to run. His brain was telling him that if she couldn’t or wouldn’t accept his apology, then there was no reason to try and continue this relationship again. Ulquiorra had to take a deep breath to keep himself from bolting for the door. “Fine. I’m sorry I got caught. I’m sorry that I did you wrong. I had no excuse, but if you’re not going to accept the apology… Maybe it’s not me who needs to talk to someone about my problems. Maybe you should talk to someone too. I feel like I’ve done everything you wanted me to do and you just kicked dirt in my face and told me it’s not enough.”

“Are you sorry you got caught? Would you be happier if I never knew about your indiscretion with Nel and you could just pretend everything is fine? Because that’s what I hear when you say that. When you get angry because I am hesitant to accept your apology unequivocally, I hear “you are not worth the effort, Orihime.” Do you see how that puts me in a tough spot?” she asked in a weak voice. She was fighting the urge to have a break down of some sort.

“I have put in the effort. I’m suggesting that you talk to someone about the issues you have. You could work through them like I’m trying to do and maybe one of these days when I say that I apologize or that I’m sorry, you’ll be like okay.” Ulquiorra looked down at the sandwich he never touched.

She looked affronted. “What kind of effort? You went to two therapy appointments. I don’t know what you want from me, Ulquiorra, but it sounds like you want me to roll over so that you can feel good about yourself. What about how I feel? You have never asked. Do you care? Are you only concerned with how I make you feel? Because I’ll tell you, I feel like a fucking fool right now hearing you say that you used me and acting like it’s just par for the course. I should talk to someone. Clearly I have issues if I keep blindly putting my faith in you only for you to keep fucking me over.”

He nodded before he stood slowly. Ulquiorra clearly needed to bring up his issues with Orihime to the doctor. “I’m going to pass on having dinner with Urahara. I’ve got some business to take care of, so I’m going to grab my stuff and then--” his voice hitched for a moment as he turned away from Orihime. He cared about her, but she didn’t seem to notice. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have gone against everything and basically fucked his schedule all up to spend the past couple of days with her. He pushed everything to the side to be with her because she needed him. “You’re right that all I do is fuck you over. And I’ve gone to three therapy appointments. You only know of two. I’ll be contacting Doctor Soifon while out on tour, once a week, I’ll have a video call with her. While I’m gone, why don’t you sort your own shit out.”

She didn’t try to stop him. If he wanted to leave, he was free to do so.

***

Ulquiorra sighed when he saw his mother’s fancy sports car in the driveway of the beach house. He really didn’t need this right now. When he walked into the house, she was on the phone, pacing the living room. As soon as she saw him she hung up.

“Where the fuck have you been? Nanao said you weren’t feeling good. You missed an appearance Friday morning! Ggio and Aaron had to do that radio interview and frankly, they’re both shit at speaking to the public!”

“I was with Orihime.”

“I know!” Maria screeched. “I got a text with a picture of you two!”

It figured Nemu would make good on her threat.“Okay, and?”

“She works for a competing company. There’s rumors that she’ll be a signed artist. If you want a fucking girlfriend--”

“Don’t worry about it, Maria. As far as I know, Orihime and I are reassessing our priorities at the moment,” Ulquiorra said in a rather monotone voice. “We have things that need to be worked through before attempting a relationship. Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want a relationship with anyone. If it’s not her, I don’t want anyone.”

Ulquiorra left the room and went up to his bedroom, closing the door. He slumped against the barrier and looked at the ceiling. Everything felt heavy. His head felt heavy. His shoulders felt like they had the weight of the world on them. Even his heart felt heavy. He shouldn’t have left Orihime’s place without resolving this matter, but she laid it out for him. She believed what she wanted to believe and no amount of apologizing or trying to explain his side of things mattered.

Still… he sent her a text.

\- Nemu sent my mom pics of us being together. Sorry.

***

She was still sitting at the kitchen table staring at his uneaten sandwich when she got his text. It was confusing. He was apologizing for what, this time? Dare she ask? Probably not a good idea to provoke the prince who dare not be questioned.

  * Sorry to hear that. I can tell her whatever you think she needs to hear to get her off your back.



She tossed her phone across the table and glowered at it. She was at a loss. Whenever things got difficult it seemed like he threw in the towel. She was feeling tired of it. She was feeling tired of everything.

Shit. She needed to text Kisuke about dinner. She reached across the table for her phone and texted him a short excuse that Ulquiorra had to leave, but that she would still like to talk about the Nemu stuff.

***

He was standing on the balcony when his phone notified him of the message. Ulquiorra thought about how easy it would be to just throw himself off the thing and be done with it all. He wouldn’t, because he wasn’t totally selfish, but still. It was an option. Nothing he did was right. He wasn’t a good person. 

He walked inside and looked at his phone. He scoffed. Maria wouldn’t talk to Orihime. It didn’t matter what she said, his mom wouldn’t listen to Orihime. 

Huh.

Just like Orihime wouldn’t listen to him.

Ulquiorra didn’t understand how everything was fine and now it was shot to hell. He was still trying to figure things out a week later on April thirteenth. He would be leaving in two days for the first city of the tour.

He wanted to talk to Orihime. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her that he was sorry, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. She didn’t want to hear his piss poor excuses. She just wanted to point out his flaws. Ulquiorra had to wonder if she ever appreciated anything he did for her. Maybe she misunderstood when he said he thought about her all the time.

It wasn’t anything sexual. He thought about how she was and what she was doing. Ulquiorra had been constantly distracted by her; her face and her smile. He kept thinking of her laugh and how cheesy she was. Even now when he was supposed to be practicing with his bandmates, he was daydreaming about her.

The worst she could do was ignore the text.

\- I’m leaving in 2 days. 

Orihime got the text as she was thanking some artist she didn’t know for letting her do backup vocals for her song. She waited until she was alone and then read it.

  
He was leaving in two days.

Yeah, she knew that. What did he want her to do about it? He had left her. Again. And apart from a guilt-trippy message about being seen out and photographed together, he had ghosted her.

Her therapist would tell her to not react. To take some time to let her knee-jerk emotions settle before responding. She had spoken to Kisuke the night that Ulquiorra bailed. He let her have a couple glasses of wine with him and she poured her heart out and explained and lamented until she was tired of talking about it. They never even got to the thing about what the older man had on Nemu. Before she passed out that night, Urahara told her he would have Rukia set an appointment up with a respected psychotherapist the same week.

She hadn’t made a lot of progress yet. She had another appointment for the day Ulquiorra would leave for tour. But the therapist did help her to see that she had a tendency to panic and get stuck in a feedback loop when presented with information that didn’t immediately make sense to her.

Ulquiorra’s text fell into this category. What had Dr. Tristan told her to do? Right. Press her thumbs into her fingers. Do something tactile. Breathe. Dial back the reaction. Think. Now, read it again.

He’s leaving in two days.

How did it make her feel? No, no, don’t try to figure out what he means by that. Look at the words, Orihime.

He’s leaving in two days. How does that make you feel? That’s what Dr. Tristan would say.

It made her feel sad. It made her feel lonely. What else was new?

There we go. Still... Dr. Tristan didn’t tell her how to respond. She didn’t even get to the mountain of shit that had come down in an avalanche a week ago.

She looked at her phone again and tried to reply like a mature adult.

  * I know.



  
She couldn’t think of anything else to say. No wait, that wasn’t true. She finished the text.

  * I know. I don’t know what happened last week. Are you done with me?



Ulquiorra had called an end to their practice the moment his phone chimed. It made no sense for him to have to come all the way to Espada Records to practice. The guys could have come down to Laguna Beach and crashed. They could have all ridden to the airport together and left.

\- No but it sounded like you were done with me. I decided to give you some space to start working through things. I figured you would text me if you wanted to talk but I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving without saying bye… I hope you’re doing okay. 

This displeased her.

  * FYI, you don’t “give someone space to start working though things” by fucking off and leaving without even a “talk to you later.” You didn’t seem to have a problem leaving without saying goodbye a week ago. As far as I knew you ghosted me. Anyway, since that’s not the case, I’ll tell you Dr. Tristan would be disappointed in me for this text, since I’m reacting emotionally and not thinking it through, but damn it, Ulquiorra! I’m not doing okay.



She sent it and she didn’t regret it. He needed to know that the way he dealt with things had an affect on her.

She sounded pissed off in the text. He didn’t want to start a fight, though.

\- I’m in town. I don’t want to fight with you. I didn’t want to fight with you last week either. It just seems to happen more and more with us. It’s not good to hear that you’re not doing okay. I just figured with what you said, you were done. That whole you don’t believe me and I fuck you over constantly… It’s not a thing I wanted to hear from you. I thought we were doing okay.

He didn’t get it.

  * We fight more and more often? We fought once since I moved here. Once. And yeah, it’s the same thing over and over because everytime we try to talk about it you shut down. It’s never going to go away unless we confront it. I know that’s not your cup of tea but you need to be able to confront me. I need to be allowed to confront you. And yeah, our day to day was okay. Better than okay. Great, even. But the foundation of our relationship is cracked and needs to be fortified or rebuilt. I was trying to do that a week ago.



She sent that message so he wouldn’t receive a huge wall of text as she immediately started to compose the next one.

  * You were right about me needing to talk to someone. You are right that I have issues too. But that didn’t invalidate everything I was saying. Plus, context is important. It’s not great that I jumped into dramatic language. It caused miscommunication, but the sentiment was still true. You do not “constantly fuck me over”, and in truth, I have no reason to suspect you were actively planning to do it again. I even told you that I had decided to believe in you and in us. That was true. Even when we were arguing last week that was true. When I said that, I was dealing with old hurt. Hurt that you seem to only be able to acknowledge it small, tolerable doses. I have to live with the intolerable amount, and everytime this comes up and I try to tell you how I feel, you shut down and leave. You did it after my concert class. You did it in December. You did it last week. 



Orihime just served him a fucking cargo plane full of baggage. She dumped it right into his lap. He decided to call her instead of text. He owed her that much.

“Hello?”

“Hey. I figured I’d call. It seemed to be a better idea than text.”

“Okay, well, I kind of blew my load on those two texts, so…” she trailed off, hoping he had some kind of response.

He figured that was the case. “Um, okay. Be patient with me. We’ve fought about what happened at the party a lot. Yes this happened to be the first heated discussion since you arrived but in the past, it’s the same thing. We’ve already gone over the fact that I had no excuse for what I did that night. You keep telling me I’m only sorry I got caught when that isn’t the case. I do not know why I did what I did that night, Veggs. There’s no excuse for it. I can’t dig my way out of that hole. I’m glad that you stopped it though. I appreciate it because who knows what would have happened.”

Ulquiorra paused for a moment. “I shut down about my problems because I don’t want to relive the pain and the discomfort of the memories, my inactions and the fuckups. I’m confronting these things in my therapy sessions. Doctor says that I’m not obligated to talk to anyone about what I discuss in that room with her. She did suggest if we’re wanting to make this work to maybe seek out couples counseling or something to that effect.”

Orihime pressed her lips together. She had been patient and waited for him to finish because he had asked her to, but he had touched on something that she had been chasing for months but kept getting distracted from. “You just said it. About the party. Until you figure out why you did that, I’m always going to have doubts. It’s always going to be there in the back of my mind. So, maybe work on that with the good doctor. In the meantime, even if you don’t want to relive the pain and discomfort of your indiscretions or whatever else, I still have to deal with mine, and they are eating me up from the inside. When you shut down, you’re effectively invalidating my pain. It doesn’t work. You can’t give me the emotional support I need that way. I’m not saying you’re “obligated” to talk to me about the stuff you talk to your therapist about, but if everything you talk about with her is automatically off-limits, we have a problem.”

“The session I went to when I was with you, we talked about the beginning. I gave her the list of my issues. She said that acknowledging I had these problems was a step in the right direction. All we talked about was about Nel and her crossing the line. This past week I had a video call with her; still hashed out the same subject. We’re starting to touch on why I let Nel yank me around.” Ulquiorra sighed and pressed a hand against his face. “It might be awhile before we get to the party. I’m not trying to invalidate you. I just deal with that stuff when I’m alone. It eats me up too. I don’t know how to deal with it.”

Orihime was quiet while she processed what he was saying. She wasn’t surprised about how slowly things were going with his therapist; she had been trying to tell him how screwed up his relationship with Nel was for years; even a professional would need some time to unpack that mess. “It seems like you’re on track with your therapist. That’s good,” she commented. “My therapist is just working with me on how to cope with the present. She doesn’t even have a clue how fucked up I am. Baby steps, I guess.”

“I don’t think you’re fucked up,” Ulquiorra stated. “I think you need affection and someone to love you because you didn’t get that while growing up.”

“Yeah, that might help,” she answered noncommittally. “But I am fucked up. Or maybe I’ve just been fucked over so many times that it feels like it’s my default setting. I don’t know. Something to look forward to finding out Wednesdays at two-thirty.” 

Oh. If she had an appointment at that time then she probably wouldn’t be there to see him off. “Can we, uh, do you want to get a cup of coffee or maybe some food while I’m up here?” Ulquiorra asked. 

“Up here? Where are you?”

“I’m currently sitting in the Espada Records building. I do not know which neighborhood that’s in though. Most likely downtown LA.”

“Well, I just got done at the office. If you know of somewhere private nearby we can go that’s fine. I know we’re not allowed to be seen together still.”

He sighed. “I don’t care if we’re seen together. I could meet you at Urahara’s though if you’re worried about it. We can sit by the pool and chat for a bit.”

“Sure. You left some stuff there anyway. Most notably a ham sandwich.”

“I’ve been eating. The label made me go to a medical doctor. I’ve gained weight back.”

“You were looking good last week too. I’m glad. I did eventually throw out that sandwich, by the way. Two days later.”

Ulquiorra chuckled. “Well, I’ll see you in a bit then?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

***

He sat in the car and rubbed his eyes. Ulquiorra picked up his phone from the console and texted Orihime that he was there. She had to come out to meet him. He didn’t feel like he should press the gate buzzer.

She pressed the buzzer to open the gate that opened the driveway and came outside. When his car didn’t come down the drive and neither did he, she walked up to the entrance and saw him sitting in his car. Oh.

She walked over to the passenger side and tapped on the glass.

He rolled down the window and looked at her. “Hey,” Ulquiorra said.

“Hi. You want to do this on the street?”

“No, I didn’t feel comfortable announcing myself. Your benefactors probably already know what a dick I am.”

“I don’t actually see them that much and they aren’t home. I did tell Kisuke that we were arguing and that I needed a therapist, so he hooked me up.” She started walking away from the car, expecting him to follow, and kept talking. “He never got around to telling me about the Nemu stuff, except that there are tapes.”

It didn’t take much effort for him to catch up to her after securing the car. Ulquiorra noticed she didn’t refute the fact that he was a dick. Oh well. “We’re not here to talk about her. We are here to enjoy each other’s company and chat.”

Orihime nodded as they reached the pool house. “Do you want to sit outside or go in?”

“Outside.” Ulquiorra knew that if they went inside, he’d have that temptation of wanting to touch her or kiss her. Right now that wasn’t appropriate. “It’s a nice-ish day out.”

“Okay, let me go in and get your stuff so I don’t forget it,” she said as she gestured for him to take a seat on a lounge chair.

The sun was too bright for him, but Ulquiorra sat where she indicated. He hoped she wasn’t grabbing the stuff he meant to keep here. If she did that, then he might as well call it quits on everything. This was something that needed to be resolved, though. He couldn’t be distracted while on tour.

She went inside and picked up the bag she had prepared with his extra phone charger, his pajama pants and a pair of socks that had gotten left in her laundry. She also had the bank envelope in her pocket. “I don’t know if you need or want any of this back but I didn’t want to hold it hostage,” she said with a small laugh, holding the bag out to him.

Taking the bag from her, Ulquiorra looked inside. He then stared at Orihime. “This is the stuff I was keeping here for when I came up. If you’re giving it back…” he took a deep breath to keep from breaking down.

“I can keep it. I kept the toothbrush.”

“I told you that first day I was keeping this stuff here. Why would you give it back?”

“Every other time you left me it was a break up, or at least the lead up to one. I don’t know what this is this time. You did not say anything when you left; you just left.”

Ulquiorra looked in the bag again. “I left because I didn’t want to do any more damage to our relationship. I didn’t want to lash out at you or anyone else. I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day mad at absolutely nothing. When I got home my mom was there and I got yelled at because I skipped out on my obligations when I was with you.”

“You had stuff to do? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wanted to spend time with you and I was willing to ignore the consequences of my actions to do that. I love you, Orihime. I don’t want to break up with you,” Ulquiorra said.

She exhaled quickly, and a small, guarded smile played on her lips. “Then I guess I can keep this stuff, huh?” Her eyes slowly rose to his. There was still tension there but she wasn’t as walled off as before. “I don’t want to break up either.”

He placed the bag on the chair and stood up, quickly walking over to where she was. “I’m glad you’re talking to someone. I’m going to miss you like crazy when I leave.” Ulquiorra put his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him.

“Me too. Tell me about every show? Even if it’s just a thumbs up? I am sure they will all be spectacular. I’m planning on watching the bootlegs on YouTube,” she paused, feeling that familiar panic well up inside of her. It made her want to crawl up into his arms and not let go. It made her eyes water and her throat hurt. Her fingers clutched at his sleeves as she blinked quickly. “I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon.”

“I’ll try to be more talkative. I will video call you a couple times a week. I want to hear your voice every day, though. I also want a picture every day. I don’t care if it’s of you at the office or just waking up. I want to hear about how your day went, Orihime,” Ulquiorra hugged her tightly. “To be honest, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave. I have this feeling of dread.”

She furrowed her brows and returned the embrace, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. “Why would that be? Are you worried about you or me?”

He shook his head. “No clue. I thought I saw glimpses of Nemu while at the label’s building today and it didn’t sit well with me. I just feel like something horrible is going to go down.”

“I want you to be careful. I know people think I’m paranoid, but there is something seriously wrong with her. She has video of us. Who knows what she does with it. I mean, it may be partially jealousy speaking, but I think she is a bad person regardless.”

“I know. She gives me the creeps, but I brought it on myself by kissing her and showing interest.”

“You might be right, but to be fair, I’ve kissed guys and shown interest only to have it fizzle out. I’m talking about before we met, obviously. Normal people will get the message and back off. She is not normal. It’s not okay if she is stalking you, regardless of what you did to get her attention.”

Ulquiorra didn’t like the idea of anyone kissing Orihime. It didn’t matter if it was in the past. He thought back to the story his mother told him about Nemu and the guy who attacked her. He knew trauma could fuck a person up. Nemu didn’t have the right to pass that trauma onto anyone else though. “I always seem to attract crazy ones,” he said.

She pulled back enough to look at him with a single brow raised. “Excuse me?”

“Not you. I meant Nel and Nemu… Okay, an edit to the previous statement. I seem to attract crazy women whose names begin with N,” Ulquiorra replied holding up his hands as if to surrender. “Better?”

“Much,” she said and smiled. “I mean it though, be careful. Have fun, but stay out of _too much_ trouble. And remember what Vega says about groupies. Here’s a hint, it’s not, “What happens on tour stays on tour”.”

He smiled at her. “If I could smuggle you onto the tour bus I would. If I could bring you with me, I would.” Ulquiorra brought his hand up to his neck and fished under the t-shirt, bringing up the necklace she had bought him.

Her expression gentled. “You’re wearing it?”

“Haven’t taken it off since the day you bought it for me.” Ulquiorra let it go so the star was visible. “May I kiss you?”

She answered him with a kiss of her own, taking his face into her hands and pressing her lips to his softly. 

A soft groan went through him. He couldn’t resist wrapping his arms around her. “I love you,” Ulquiorra breathed. “I’m so fucking in love with you.”

“I’m so in love with you, too, Ulquiorra,” she said and her body lurched as she swallowed a sob, dropping her hands to his back, squeezing tightly. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“You think I want to let you go? I don’t. Do you want to go inside? We can sit on your couch and you can tell me about your day. I’ll apologize for being a dick this past week. Maybe give you some dick?” He looked down at her with a small smile on his face.

She scoffed and wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye. “Yeah, yeah let’s go inside,” she said, walking backwards -but not releasing him- with a smirk on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Were you as frustrated reading this as I was while proofreading this? UGH! I wanted to slam my head against my keyboard. These two idiots. Anyway, let us know what you think! - JKR


	11. Sinking Feelings

Orihime made a surprise trip over to the beach house the night before Ulquiorra had to leave. She didn’t ask to go inside. She knew that if she did, they wouldn’t get much sleep, and Ulquiorra would suffer the next day. 

“I want you to call me when you settle in for the night, tomorrow. I don’t care how late it is. And text me after you land so I know you got there safely,” Orihime said in a shaky voice, fussing over some folds in his t-shirt.

“Veggs, we went over this the other day. I will. I’ll call you every night. Text me whenever you need me and I’ll answer.” Ulquiorra sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”

“Of course I _want_ to stay. I don’t want to sabotage your first day, though.”

He knew she was only looking out for him, but it was frustrating. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach? Want to go on a date? I mean, you drove all the way down here. You didn’t come here to remind me to text and call you. If I promise to behave, would you stay?”

“All you have to do is tell me you want me to stay, and I’ll do it,” she admitted in low tones.

Ulquiorra wanted to tell her to get her ass in the beach house. “Tell me what you want to do,” He replied. “This is about us, not just me.”

“I want to stay.”

“Do you want to do anything before I drag you up to my bedroom and have my way with you for several hours?”

She bit her lip and shook her head, trying to suppress a smile.

He didn’t wait very long before he was pulling her into the house and practically carried her up the stairs. Ulquiorra stripped Orihime of her clothing and had her sitting on his bed. He grinned at her. “I want a bad habit pic once a week. Maybe something else also? Would Vega send Obscuras nudes?”

She blushed bright red. “Well, um, that would be a first for Vega. She’s always refused requests for nudes; that’s how the Bad Habit was formed. But… for Obscuras she might make an exception.”

“You act like I wouldn’t send pics back,” he stated, as he slowly started stripping his clothes off.

“Oh,” she said, once again biting her lip, both at the idea of pics and at the image she was presented with right now. “What kind of pics do you like? Tasteful? Nasty? A combination? I don’t really know what to do,” she purred. She was turned on by the concept.

Ulquiorra bit his lip and then grinned. “Whatever you want to give me. If you want to pose like you do for the Bad Habits, that’s fine. What about you? What kind of pics do you want?”

It seemed impossible for her blush to deepen any further but it did. She was going for it though; she was going to tell him what she liked no matter how shy it made her feel. “I’d like to see you touch yourself. Not just, _you know_ , but anywhere. Your neck, your belly, your heart, and, y’know, your dick if it suits your fancy. I like your hands. A lot.”

Once he was naked, he joined her on the bed, sitting behind Orihime. He let the things she was talking about stroke the side of her neck, his fingers slowly gliding up and down her skin. “My hands, huh?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, closing her eyes and reveling in the touch. “They are good hands.”

“Hmmm,” he hummed. “They’re hands that want to make love to you. They’re hands that want to write poetry to you. They are hands that want to play all kinds of beautiful music with you.” Normally, Ulquiorra would have already been hard and ready to go, but this was important… this night he wanted to seduce her. He wanted to fall in love with her all over again.

“Like I said, they are really, really good hands,” she breathed. “I love your hands. They’re beautiful and strong. They’re gentle and firm. They terrify me and make me feel safe. I put my heart in them a long time ago,” she whispered.

He could feel his resolve crumbling as his hands moved lower, cupping her tits. Ulquiorra moved his mouth near her ear. “I gave you my heart years ago.”

“Ulquiorra?”

“Hmmm?”

“When you’re done with your tour, and when you feel like you’re more, um, resolved with the things you need to deal with, and I have worked through some stuff, would you… um...” she paused as she swallowed. She was putting herself out on a limb here a bit.

She paused long enough for him to kiss the area below her ear, letting his lips linger there. “Tell me, Baby. Would I what?”

“Would you, um, want to, um, move in together?”

There was no hesitation in his answer. There was no voice wavering or uncertainty. “Yes,” he answered. “Absolutely.”

She smiled and let out the breath she’d been holding. “Okay, um, good. Yay.” She couldn’t help the ridiculous grin that stretched her cheeks. “Thank you,” she said, bringing her right hand up to touch one he had on her.

He brought his other hand up and turned her face towards him. Ulquiorra kissed her, his tongue caressing hers. Fingers manipulated her nipple while they were in the liplock. “Vega,” he whimpered against her mouth.

“My love,” she breathed back, her spine arching and pressing her breast further into his hand. She reached behind her and threaded her fingers into the hair at the back of his head, kissing him again.

What seemed like fire shot down his body, making him hot. All ideas of taking this slow were thrown out the window. Ulquiorra lightly squeezed the flesh in his hand before he moved his hand down her stomach, tracing circles. “Maybe you can fly out to a city for a show? Be a special VIP guest?”

She sighed at his touch. “I was thinking of surprising you and coming for a show, but I think having something both of us can look forward to is a good idea,” she answered, but cut her thoughts with a quickly sucked in a breath as his nails scraped a sensitive spot. She made a faint moan, putting her other hand behind her as well, raking her fingertips from his knee to his mid thigh with firm, but not damaging, pressure. “I can’t wait eight weeks. At least, I don’t want to.”

“You think I’d make you wait eight weeks? I can barely wait thirty minutes being around you.”

She grinned and a breathy laugh pushed past her lips. “I like that about you.” It was true, too. His appetite for her was always something she appreciated. They were compatible in that way, among many others. 

He gave a laugh. “I’m going to wait, because I want to have my face in between your legs before I make you sit on my cock,” Ulquiorra replied. His fingers were gentle as they parted her nether lips. “Hnnngh, do I have to behave?”

“Depends on what you mean by behave, but to quote the Magic Eight Ball, “signs point to no”."

“Staying up all night and fucking you is how I want to misbehave.”

“I will encourage this bad behavior as long as you can promise to rally tomorrow for your show.” she said, the hand in his hair snaking down to her leg, pulling it up to allow him better access between her legs.

“It’s only a radio thing when we land in Las Vegas,” he murmured as he looked over her shoulder at what he was doing. Seeing wetness on his fingers made his breath quicken as he touched her. “I can sleep on the plane.”

“In that case I’m yours for the taking, for as long as you are able,” she purred into his neck as she twisted and put her lips over that X tattoo. She smiled when she realized what she was doing. He had said it awhile ago; she was his and he was hers. It didn’t matter what Nel had tried to do to tear them apart. They were together. They were in love. Nel didn’t matter anymore. She latched onto that same spot, sucking the skin into her mouth and licking up the side of his neck before going back to that spot and sucking on it again.

He lifted his head while biting his lip so she could have better access to his neck. What she was doing felt so nice. It was sending tingles down his spine. “Orihime, I don’t want to wait,” he said.

“Don’t want to wait for what?” she asked softly, her lips on his earlobe and her hips starting to move in small, slow circles on his fingers.

She was about to be flipped over and fucked if she kept doing that. Ulquiorra let a groan escape his throat. “I don’t want to wait to be inside of you.”

“Then take me,” she replied in a soft hiss, catching his earlobe between her teeth and nibbling on it with a light tough between his piercings. “I want you to show me that I’m yours. I want you to tell me how much you love me while you’re deep inside of me. I want to tell you how good you make me feel, and then I want to feel you come,” she cooed as her hips rose and caught his fingers near her entrance. “I want to taste myself on your lips.” 

Ulquiorra sunk two fingers inside of Orihime, liking how she whined at the action. He fingered her for a few moments letting the moisture collect there before he brought the hand up to his mouth and licked them off. Then he kissed Orihime, moving so that she was laying on her back and he was in between her legs. “I am yours, Veggs.”

“You _are_ mine,” she affirmed in an awestruck kind of whisper as she slid her legs up his. She brought her hands up to his neck and pulled him down to kiss her again. She was going to miss him so much. She wanted to get as much of him as she could tonight. “You’re my star.”

Looking down at her through half-lidded eyes, Ulquiorra slowly moved his hips so the underside of his dick rubbed against her. “Do you want me?” he asked.

“Always,” she answered, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. “I want you.”

He was gentle as he reached between their bodies and guided himself into her. Ulquiorra’s eyes closed as pleasure overcame him. “You have me. Every piece of me is yours, Woman.”

Her breath hitched and she pulled his body down onto hers and held him as tight as she could, her legs wrapping around his hips to help in the endeavor. “I love you,” she whimpered, the feeling of fullness and completion radiating through her body in a warm heat. “I’m yours, too.”

“I love you, too,” he replied, finally opening his eyes when he was seated inside of her. He bit the corner of his lip and then rolled his hips. “I’m going to miss you.”

A soft, high-pitched moan left her as he moved and then she raised her hips to meet his. “I’m going to miss you so much. You have no idea what you mean to me,” she murmured into his collarbone.

It felt like they were saying goodbye. Ulquiorra hoped that wasn’t the case. He’d be back. Letting out a breath, he moved against her, letting his hips thrust and his thighs power the action. “Orihime,” he murmured. “I love you.”

She smiled then. He was doing just what she had told him she wanted. She kissed his shoulder and raked her hands down his back and groaned, “I love you, Ulquiorra. You make me feel so good,” she waited for the next thrust to moan again and add, “I feel like I can fly when I’m with you like this.”

His spine arched as her nails grazed his skin. “I love making you feel like that. I want to make love to you everyday with my entire body and soul; with my heart. When I come back… We’re going to do that. We’re going to find a place and make a home.”

She nodded, and her hands travelled again, this time to his face. She held him so that their eyes met and hers smiled into his. “You’re my home, Ulquiorra. You are. Anyplace will be home if you’re in it,” she panted as he continued moving in her.

“Hnnngh,” he whimpered. Ulquiorra quickened his pace. Her words, the tone, the inflection; they were all combining and sending shivers down his spine. He wanted to wake up to her like he did while in Austin. He wanted to see her face every day like he had in Ohio. Was this what it was like to be in truly in love with someone? He just wanted to make her happy and see Orihime smile. “I’m going to sing to you every day.”

A small, happy giggle left her. His words and his emotions were on display and she loved it. “I can’t wait. I’m going to make us salads and show you Alan Rickman movies until you can’t stand it. We’re going to talk about work and goals and just be quiet together,” she squeaked as he pushed into her, then she gasped. “We’ll sing together.” Imagining their life together as a couple living under one roof was making the fear of missing him feel less heavy. Her body relaxed and then she felt him slip into her a bit deeper than before. She choked a bit and started to whine. Where did this come from? Her entire pelvis seemed to burn as her burgeoning orgasm began to build steam quickly. “Ulquiorra!” she called out, sounding surprised and a bit worried as her inner thighs started shaking uncontrollably. “Oh my god.”

He could feel it too. Fuck, she was going to come on him. The trembling was also going through his body. He had no clue what was causing it; he just knew it felt really good. “Vega,” he moaned as her body seemed to draw him in deeper with every thrust. Fuck. “I’m going to come.”

She was already there, and unable to make any intelligent response. A sharp cry that faded into whimpering, shuddering pants was his reply as she clutched at his arms and shoulders and rode it out.

Ever since the first time with Orihime, Ulquiorra had always felt like his sexual experiences that came before the redhead were paltry in comparison. This was absolute heaven. As the pulses died down, he let his body relax against hers, burying his face into her neck. “You might kill me one of these days,” he said.

“Haaanggh,” was the response he got. It made no sense. Orihime’s brain was fried. Her legs felt like jelly but were still shaking erratically from time to time and the muscles in her abdomen were spasming with the aftershocks of their orgasm. She had to catch her breath and calm down before she tried to say anything. If this was what it felt like to have sex with him when she felt totally loved, she couldn’t wait to do it again when they were more established as a couple and living together. A shaky hand found the back of his head and its fingers wormed their way into his hair and just held him to her gently. “I won’t kill you, I promise,” she whispered when she finally could.

A chuckle left him as he held onto her just as tightly. “You might not kill me… The sex will though. When I come back… It’ll be me and you.”

She nosed her way to his face and kissed his lips. “You’ll survive it. I promise.” She looked into his eyes after that, their noses just inches from one another, and smiled. “You and me.”

Ulquiorra blushed, his cheeks turning pink, then he kissed her back. “Let’s get some rest and then we can do something else. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” she answered, her smile widening and her grip on him relaxing.

***

Obscuras IV landed in Las Vegas, did a radio show, then piled into a van which took them to the Bellagio. There were lights and people. Ulquiorra had been in Las Angeles for a while so it wasn’t quite the shock to his system. As soon as they were settled in the suite, Aaron and Ggio were itching to go gamble.

“C’mon Ulq! Let’s go!” Aaron crowed.

“I’ll be down in a bit. I’ve got stuff to do.”

It was Ggio who scoffed. “What is she, your wife, now? You texted her before we took off. You texted her as soon as we landed. Does she have to know your every move?”

“Look jackass,” Ulquiorra said, getting into the smaller man’s space. “At least I have a partner; someone who wants to help me through this shit--”

It was Nanao that stopped them from having more words with each other. “Okay boys, you’ve got tomorrow to look around and play in Vegas. Friday is your concert and then you’ll be in the tour bus on your way to Phoenix. I suggest you get along if you like this little ride of fame. Koma will replace you.”

“I know a really good pianist and DJ,” Ulquiorra muttered and sneered at Ggio.

“At least my dick wasn’t hanging out on some gossip vlogger’s page,” the drummer replied.

“Go fu--”

“OUT!” Koma’s voice boomed through the suite living room. “One more fucking word and I will make sure you spend the next three days in a pay by the hour roach infested motel,” he stated.

With their heads down, the bassist and Ggio left to go to their jaunt through the casino. Ulquiorra looked at Komamura.

“You’re the face of this band, please act like you have some sense,” was all the manager said to him before going into one of the bedrooms. 

He wasn’t the face of this band. He was the fucking band.

Nanao was going to say something, but then Riruka burst into the area. “The label is paying almost two grand a night for this and I have to share a room with you?” 

The way that the assistant rolled her eyes was hilarious. “Everyone has to share a room,” Nanao told the stylist.

“Oh yeah? What about Emoface?”

Ulquiorra scoffed and he was about to unleash hell on Riruka, but once again, Nanao came to the rescue. “He’s rooming with Koma, now why don’t you follow those two dolts and go have some fun while you’re still sober? No hangover hijinx either!”

Riruka giggled and took this advice, which made Nanao frown. She followed after the stylist, leaving Ulquiorra alone. Now was the perfect time to call Orihime.

Orihime was rehearsing in the pool house for a session the next morning when the call came in.

“Hi! Are you all checked in? How’s the place?”

“Hey. Did you get my texts? It’s big and bright. We’re at the Bellagio.” Ulquiorra smiled a little as he heard her voice. “Apparently the label is forking over some serious cash for their biggest suite… I think it’s the penthouse or something.”

“That is really cool. Take some pictures for me! I did get your texts; I wrote back but maybe there’s a lag in coverage,” she paused and imagined what he was feeling and experiencing right now. “I wish I could be there, but I’m so excited for you. You’re doing it!” she squealed. This was three years in the making, and she had been there since the beginning. She couldn’t be anything but happy for him at the moment.

He looked at his phone and didn’t see any new messages from her. Ulquiorra frowned. His phone had been off for a while. “Uh, me and the drummer got into it about how much I was texting you. Also Riruka is bitching because we have to share rooms. I’m going to take a bunch of pictures for you.” He then sighed, “I should be doing this with you. You should be on tour with me. Had you not commented or encouraged me, I’d be a nobody, Orihime.”

She tried to be unflappably upbeat, but his last sentiment tugged at her heart. “Ulquiorra M. Cifer, you listen to me,” she said in a faux authoritative way. “You were always somebody. I would never have noticed you, otherwise. But,” she paused to take a breath and her voice gentled, “I’m glad you miss me. I miss you too. Don’t let your drummer bother you at all he is a mental midget. You do what makes you happy and don’t listen to people who want to bring you down. Now go have fun tonight and don’t worry about what you think you should have done. There’s no point to it. And I’m going to be busy later; I have to rehearse for a session. But if you get lonely, you’re never an interruption. Capice?”

“But had you never commented we wouldn’t be together,” he pointed out. “I’m tired. Not much sleep last night and having my body drained of life several times has left me with no energy. I think I’m going to order some room service and text you while watching a movie or something.”

She shook her head and smiled. He was so stubborn. “Okay, but make sure you get out for a little while at some point during the next couple of days; you might regret not seeing anything besides the inside of your room, as fabulous as it sounds. Also, if you get bored, maybe you can listen to a bit of my rehearsal and tell me if it sounds good; the acoustics in this house are terrible and I can’t tell if my vibrato is ringing or if that is just one of the appliances,” she said with a chuckle.

“I offered you the use of the studio in Laguna Beach,” he stated. Ulquiorra knew Orihime was right about going out and seeing the city but people and sounds annoyed him and it was bright during the day. “If you want to rehearse with me on the phone you can. I’m not going to say no, Orihime.”

“Um, okay! Just for a bit; I don’t want to eat up all your time, but you have a good ear so…” she trailed off. “You know I can’t use your place, though, right? Your mom would get a restraining order.”

Another sigh went through him. “I know. Maria needs to accept our relationship. And please take all of my time, woman. You think I just said that stuff for fun?”

She grinned and he could hear it in her voice as she replied, “No, I know you meant it. And as for your mom… She strikes me as the kind of person who gets an idea in her head and won’t let go until she’s dead. She’ll tentatively accept our relationship when she isn’t supporting your lifestyle anymore, I bet. But it _is_ her house and she has every right to say who can and can’t enter it. When that isn’t an issue anymore, hopefully she won’t feel as righteous about it all,” she said, walking back to the kitchen where she had her sheet music and a small keyboard she used to pick out notes when her sightsinging failed her.

“I know you’re right, it just sucks. How has your day been so far?”

“It was a slow start, as you know,” she laughed and took a seat. “But after I got home, I thought about moping around here, but I just couldn’t. I was too happy. I’m really excited for you and for our next big adventure after your tour. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

This left a huge grin on his face. “I’m thinking we could look at houses. The label might pay for a nice place that I’ll like, or we can get an apartment somewhere.”

“I really think we should do this on our own if we can. I don’t want to be beholden to anyone. That way when we tell people to fuck off, we can do it easily,” she said with a smile.

Once again she was talking sense. “Okay, let me order myself some food and then I’ll listen to you sing.”

***

Orihime’s session the next morning went fine. She had some time to kill afterward, and one of the sound guys had a bit of a crush on her, so when she asked him to show her how to use the most basic recording equipment he indulged her. She wasn’t asking how to do anything complicated, just basically which button was record and which one was stop, so that she could record some isolated vocals when the studio wasn’t in use.

She decided to record something for Ulquiorra and post it on YouTube, so if he was lonely he could watch it. Cheesy. Unoriginal, sure. She didn’t really care much about that. So while she was texting him back throughout the day she thought about what she wanted to record and talked to Yoruichi about using the studio after-hours. Of course she got permission.

Every couple of days she would sneak in and record. She was getting busier by the day, though. Urahara began taking her on artist check-ins, agent meetings and business lunches. He would tell people that she was his intern or assistant and she would listen and not speak unless spoken to. She was taking notes and learning a lot about the people in her industry.

Growing up with her Aunt Claire and the people she associated with had prepared Orihime for this kind of life to a large degree. Not much in these meeting surprised her, except the extent to which some of the producers and executives Kisuke met with really looked down on their recording artists. The very people who were making them money; the people who kept them in business --the content creators-- they were regarded as parasites. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Didn’t they see that without these “parasites”, they’d be out of a job?

She developed a deep appreciation for Kisuke. Yes, he was world-weary. He lacked patience for divas and ridiculous demands from spoiled musicians. He wouldn’t hesitate to take down someone he thought was working against his interests. He was smart and cunning and an excellent judge of character. However, he truly did love music. He truly did love developing and nurturing raw talent. He just didn’t abide bullshit, unless it was his own, of course.

The other nice thing about this new responsibility was that people in the office noticed the relationships she had with Kisuke and Yoruichi, and began treating her with respect and a fair amount of leniency as a result. If she asked for something, be it information or assistance, she was nearly assured to get it in short order. 

She became friendly with most of the regulars who came in and out of Soul Society, except Byakuya. He remained chilly. She didn’t care, though. She was too busy to care. Between her work and texting, calling, and sending racy pics to her boyfriend, she had a full plate.

***

The concert in Vegas had been wild. The event was a lot bigger than the one in Austin. Ulquiorra did what Orihime said to do and went out and about Vegas, partaking in some of the most famous places around the metropolis area. He gambled and won a couple hundred dollars which he put away for Orihime. If she needed it, it would be there. After the concert they were shoved into the tour bus.

Ulquiorra thought he’d get an actual bedroom, but it wasn’t his luck. There were six bunks and two bathrooms in the thing. He could only think of it as fair. He was a new act and Espada Records was probably putting him through his paces. Maybe the next time he toured, they’d have a bigger tour bus or he could have a coach of his own, or Koma, Nanao and Riruka could have their own.

The ride to Arizona didn’t take long, and it was several days before the concert. There wasn’t much to see in the city, so Ulquiorra mostly hung around the hotel and its pool. The people along on the tour thought it was weird that he didn’t burn, nor did he tan. Spending all that time out in the sun, he was still whiter than pale. 

He called Orihime every night. He replied to every text she sent along with sending her selfies. He tagged her on Instagram. He even put up a couple of vlog type videos on YouTube showcasing life on the road. Ulquiorra was enjoying himself, but he missed Orihime terribly. The video and phone calls, pictures and texts were just enough to keep him from getting on a plane and flying back to LA to be with her.

After the Phoenix concert, they were on their way to Dallas.

No one said anything to Ulquiorra about what was going on with his YouTube comments or Instagram messages. He walked into the hotel room he shared with Koma to see him and Nanao with their heads together. It made him worry.

*** 

It was the first day of May, while Obscuras IV and entourage were driving cross-country, that Orihime called Ulquiorra midday. It was a rare occurrence.

“Hello Veggs, what’s up?” He asked as he was rummaging around the green room the radio station had set them up in.

“Guess who just got a flight to Miami?”

Ulquiorra stopped everything he was doing. “What? Are you serious? You’re going to be in Miami?”

“Yep! One of the freelance session guitarists got comped tickets to your show through his agent and offered them to me, and I got myself a ticket to Miami. I’m going to see you in a week!” she was buzzing with excitement.

“YES! Don’t worry about a hotel. I’ll get us a room,” Ulquiorra replied. He was instantly happy instead of just okay with things. “But seriously? You’ve going to be with me in Miami?”

“Yes! I’m going to be there Friday morning and I’m coming back Monday morning. I am so excited!” She sounded like she might squeal or cry, it was hard to tell.

Oh. “We’re leaving Saturday afternoon,” he said. The excitement in his voice died down considerably. “We have a show in Charlotte on Wednesday.”

“But you’re not getting to Florida until Thursday, right?”

He had sent Orihime an itinerary of all the stops and appearances that were coordinated with the tour. She probably had looked it over better than he did. “Yeah, we’re in Little Rock right now then going down to New Orleans then Tampa. I’m getting better at talking to radio hosts.”

She chuckled. “I know, I caught a couple of the interviews online. You sound pretty confident, I must say. Your boys are sounding a bit less idiotic, too. It’s good. Anyway, I’m disappointed we’re not going to have a lot of time together, but I’ll take what I can get. And my flight gets in really early on Friday. I know you’ll be busy from the early afternoon, but maybe we can get lunch and then I can pretend to be an Obscuras IV groupie for a day or something,” she laughed. “How are those, by the way?” She had never asked about the personal attention he was getting from fans. She knew what it was like; she had waited outside venues for autographs after concerts before. She had seen the kind of women who hung out and tried to charm their way into a musician’s private space through his handlers.

“You can always come up to North Carolina with me,” he replied. Ulquiorra shook his head. She thought he had groupies? She was wrong. “Veggs, you’d have to ask Aaron and Ggio about groupies. I’m not interested in anyone but you. You should know this. You’re the only person I call or text. I don’t mind it though. I give the fans autographs and pics when I can, but I’m not seeking out their attention. I didn’t become Obscuras IV to get pussy.”

She laughed again. He was assuming that she thought he would want it. She knew he didn’t. “I know that, I meant just the line of desperate women between your venue and the tour bus after shows. Any amusing anecdotes? Anyone bean you in the head with keycards or bras?”

“I’ve gotten panties launched at my head but they were cheap and I avoided getting hit with them,” Ulquiorra said. “I still miss you.”

“Me too. I _could_ change my flight to leave from a different city… I just booked it so I wouldn’t get penalized. I have some time off because Kisuke and Yoruichi are leaving to go to Atlanta next Thursday and they will be there for a few weeks, so my schedule is flexible.”

They were leaving her alone in that huge ass city? He wanted to panic, but then remembered Orihime had an assistant. The short shit would keep her safe. “Atlanta? Too many bugs in Georgia,” he laughed, trying to calm himself down. “Do you want to come with me to Charlotte? I mean… you’d be in the tour bus with me and the others. You’d get to meet Riruka and Nan.”

“I’d love to, but do you think Koma would allow it?” She was dubious.

“I’m sure I could sweet talk him into it. He knows how much better I focus when you’re around. Other than the impromptu vacation, things going okay today?”

“Yeah. I’m talking to my favorite guy, I’ve gotten an informal offer to do a collaboration record for Seireitei… which means classical,” she said with distaste. “I haven’t read it through yet but my assistant’s brother seems really adamant that I do it. It wouldn’t be as a signed artist, it would be freelance. I would only do it if I felt like it was a good opportunity, though. I really don’t want to become famous as Claire Cartwright’s protege.” She paused and worried her lip a second. “Still, it’s an ego boost to get the offer.”

Ulquiorra smiled and it could be heard in his voice. “I’m proud of you. You’re doing things without the help of that bitch. That’s the important thing. You’re going to do what you want without her.”

“Thanks, you’re right!” she replied, buoyed by his support. “Still, you know me, always careful, always skeptical. Anyway, talk to Koma today and let me know a little later about whether I should change my flight and the details? I would really love to experience the bus with you.”

There was a tap on the door which made Ulquiorra look at the barrier. “I’ve got to go Vega. I will talk to Koma after this interview and let you know what he says when I talk to you tonight. I love you. I’ll talk to you in a couple of hours.”

“Love you too!” she said and hung up. She turned her attention to the email on her desk. It was from Byakuya Kuchiki and it was exactly what she had expected; a classical album for a better known baritone and an opportunity to duet on a few songs. She wouldn’t get much credit or payment. She would get a “featuring” line on the back of the CD jacket. She set it aside. She may or may not read the rest later. She was going to ignore it for now. If they really wanted her, they could make the offer more attractive, she thought as she started looking up things to do in Charlotte.

***

Ulquiorra called her back about five hours later. Koma had agreed to it and so had Nanao. Ggio and Riruka bitched and Aaron didn’t really have an opinion about it. As long as Ulquiorra paid for his own hotel room for him and Orihime, the band manager didn’t really see a problem with it. After telling his girlfriend this information, he waited for her to say something.

“So, when are you leaving Charlotte? Because I will book my flight for the day you leave. Holy shit. Sorry for the language but I was missing you so much and now we’re going to be together for several days. I am more than a little looking forward to it.”

“Thursday morning. I’m going to get you an Uber to the airport and then I’ll be off to Columbus. The place where it all started,” Ulquiorra said. He dropped his voice down to a whisper. “I miss you. I just want to get on a plane and come back to LA.”

“Well, you only have to wait one week and then we’ll have nearly a week together. I wish I could come with you to Columbus. I’d love to see certain people and to see you perform there. I’m sure your dad will come to your show. I miss him. I should call him sometime. Anyway, I can’t. I have a thing. It’s a social function, but it’s for work. Rukia tells me it would be stupid if I didn’t go; it’s an important networking opportunity.”

“Just watch out for vultures, okay?” Ulquiorra was still feeling that icy of ball of dread in the pit of his stomach. He shook his head to get rid of the bad thoughts. “I’ll let you know which hotel we’re at when I get to Miami.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan. And don’t worry, I am always on guard. I’m going to go change my flight. I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

Ulquiorra agreed and ended the call. He just had to keep himself calm until Thursday.

***

Orihime could hardly contain herself as she saw the landing strip at Miami International come into view. As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off she was up and climbing her seat to get into the overhead compartment for her carry-on. That and a large purse she could fit under her seat were the only things that she brought. She ran up the gangplank and as soon as she was past the secure area she took out her phone.

  * I’m here!!!! :D



Ulquiorra had decided to surprise Orihime. The tour bus had gotten into Miami late Wednesday night, which didn’t bother him. It was Aaron and Ggio’s need to party as soon as they could that irritated him. They were only in their mid twenties but looked a lot older. He took the car that Koma had rented and drove to the airport. 

\- I’ve got a car waiting for you. The guy will be holding a sign.

He had found a piece of paper and scrawled Vega onto the surface in black marker. It was crude, but it would get the job done.

She walked as fast as she could without running until she got near the exit and then found the sign that read “Vega”. She laughed and announced herself, “I’m Vega,” she chirped with a wide smile.

He lowered the sign and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “I know who you are,” Ulquiorra said with a smile.

She threw herself at him and whimpered, “I’m home!” before kissing him without reservation.

He didn’t give a damn whether or not people were looking at them. Ulquiorra scooped her up and kissed her back. “I missed you,” he told her.

“Me too,” she replied before kissing him again, then finally looked back at him to study his face. “I know you’ve been sending pictures, but the real thing is so much better.”

A blush started on his face and he bit his lip. “I know what you mean,” Ulquiorra replied. “How about we get to the car and we can do something or go to the hotel or...”

“Yes. Let’s get out of here,” she agreed, picking up the bag she had dropped and putting her free arm through his. “I don’t care what we do. Lead the way, man of mine!”

***

He had taken her to some cafe to get coffee and they sat down at a table, just to talk. “So you were saying something about you had an offer?”

“Yeah, it seemed kind of low-ball and exploitative on the surface so I ignored it. If they really want me on the project they can come back with a more attractive offer. I’m not desperate to record classical music; it’s not what I want to be known for.”

Ulquiorra nodded. “What do you want to be known for? Being my girlfriend?” He was only teasing. “Maybe you need to put something out on YouTube that will get you noticed.”

She raised an eyebrow at his joke and pursed her lips. “The YouTube idea isn’t bad. I’ve been putting a lot out there lately though; have you had a chance to see it?”

“Yes and no. Nanao doesn’t like me meddling in the social media sites anymore. I just upload stuff and then she takes care of things. I do watch your videos to go to sleep though.” Ulquiorra smiled at her before taking a sip from the paper cup in front of him.

“Hmm,” she commented before taking a sip of her own. “So you missed my very thinly veiled dedication to you? I was surprised when I didn’t get any reaction whatsoever,” she said before taking another sip of her coffee.

He peered at her for a moment before pulling out his phone and opening YouTube. He went directly to Orihime’s channel. “To be fair, I like your voice whether you’re singing or speaking, but the older ones with the raw quality just seem to soothe me more than others. They remind me of when we first got together. The newest video?”

“No, the new one was just for fun, I wanted to do something between pop and classical so I covered a Disney song. The one before that one I made for you.”

Tapping the video he found in the list, Ulquiorra put his earbuds in and was silent as he listened to Orihime’s voice as she sang a cover of Sarah McLachlan’s _Answer_. Somehow just hearing her voice sing those words brought him more comfort than anything his therapist said. It brought him a peace that erased that horrible dread feeling. When the song was over, Ulquiorra stared at his lap, trying to find the words to thank Orihime.

She waited for awhile, and after a couple of minutes she was starting to worry. Did he hate it? Was he one of the many who was soured on Sarah McLachlan music after her “save the puppies” commercials on TV years ago? Her stomach started to squirm, she couldn’t take it much longer. “Are you okay?” she finally asked.

“Mmhmm,” he hummed, trying to hold back the emotion in his voice. Ulquiorra finally looked up, glancing at Orihime before he looked at the wall. “Thank you.”

She was starting to feel like he hated it. “You’re welcome, but if you don’t like it you can say so,” she said, a sinking feeling pulling at her chest and guts. “You don’t have to listen to the new stuff.” It hurt her feelings that he hadn’t been listening until now, anyway. She watched everything he put out ravenously. She searched out recordings other people made of his shows and listened to his radio interviews when she found them, regardless of how busy she was. It made her feel insignificant that he didn’t do the same.

“Not like it? Orihime,” Ulquiorra paused while he wiped his eyes. This song had him on the verge of sobbing. “I love it. Thank you. The words… They speak to me. Hearing you sing this for me, it brings me peace. From now on, I’m going to listen to your stuff, Nanao can kiss my ass. It’s my channel--” again he stopped speaking as a comment notification popped up. “What the...”

“What? What is it?”

“I got a comment.”

“A good one?” she asked, not having any expectation that it was, based on his tone.

Ulquiorra shook his head as he went to the envelope icon. 

“What does it say?”

“Sleepy Goat; I will make you mine. I am going to make my mark on you. There’s hundreds of comments from this person.” Ulquiorra switched over to Instagram and looked in his direct messages. SleepyGoat had messaged and commented there too. The account holder had no pictures or anything to tip him off about who it was.

“It sounds like you have a very creepy stalker,” she said quietly. “It makes sense now why Nanao discourages you using your social media sites.”

Ulquiorra scoffed. “She could have told me about this. I’d stop looking in my inbox--” DING. He’d gotten an email. “Fuck they have my email address. Like my personal one. The one I never used for Obscuras IV.”

“What’s the username?”

“Sleepy dot goat OIV. ”

“Hmm, I wonder,” she muttered, typing the username into her browser and looking for information on the username. The only things that came up were dummy accounts with nothing in them. “I’ll ask Kisuke to take a peek. I have my suspicions.”

He gave her an alarmed look. “What? I think I need to talk to Nanao and Koma about this. Why would they hide something like this from me?”

“I think you know why. It would make sense that they’d try to protect you from this. You don’t need this kind of stress on tour. But now that you know, you should talk to them about it, I think.” 

***

Koma wasn’t happy that Ulquiorra had seen the messages. Nanao looked incredibly guilty. Ulquiorra stood in the manager’s hotel room with his arms crossed over his chest and glared at the two of them. “This is bullshit,” he stated. 

“Ulq, we know. Your girlfriend is right, we didn’t want to cause you undue stress. This is your first tour. Things needed to go smoothly,” Koma said in a gruff tone. 

Orihime looked at Ulquiorra with a loaded expression and then back to Koma. “You have to understand how he feels now, though. This isn’t something he can just forget about. We need to know that steps are being taken to assure his safety.” She felt like his agent at the moment. It was weird, but she didn’t want to let her boyfriend get railroaded.

Koma didn’t really like the redhead and he gave her a baleful look. “We have ramped up security. The person has been sending these messages for weeks. We’re protecting Espada Records’ assets.”

“I’m just a fucking asset?” Ulquiorra was getting fed up with this.

So was Orihime. Koma sounded just like the assholes that she had lunch meetings with. “Have you? Well how wonderful. Tell me, then, how is it that the Espada organization allows its assets to be harrassed, unchecked, despite multiple reports, by other non-essential Espada employees? How is that that with one YouTube message I can identify this stalker and you don’t--” she paused as she saw Koma flinch slightly. “You do know. How long have you been protecting her?” she asked, shaking her head.

It was Nanao who spoke up. “We have no clue who it is. Sometimes the messages are traced back to internet cafes in various states.”

“Sometimes, huh? Plausible deniability. Maybe you can’t throw the book at her with that, but you still know what you know. Put a leash on that bitch.”

“Is it Nemu? Is it Nel?” Ulquiorra looked between his manager and his assistant. 

“We don’t know. Both Ohio and California have been registered as sites for the messages. They’re meaningless messages, Ulq. No one is going to hurt you or get to you. You don’t even interact with the screaming fans except when you’re going into the venues.” Nanao frowned and then shuffled her feet. “Nemu was told to stay away from you. She’s been doing that.”

Orihime sighed. Despite her indignation, she knew Nanao’s hands were tied. Koma’s as well, she just didn’t like his attitude about it. “Block this user. Block every single one like it. It’s not rocket science. I know you two have your own asses to look out for, but the way this has been handled is not acceptable.”

“We’re looking into it. I mean Ulq helps us out by not going anywhere, and if he does go places, he drags Nanao along with him,” Koma replied. “We are well aware of what is going on. Security has been doubled and there’s a guy always following Ulquiorra.”

Orihime raised her brows and looked to her boyfriend as if to say it was his call.

“I never see anyone.”

“That’s the point. He knows who and where you are. He’s not supposed to stick out like a sore thumb.”

Oh, well that made sense. Ulquiorra sighed and looked at Orihime, giving a slight shrug. He had no clue what to do. “If this person sends any crazy messages or pictures, I want to be informed.”

Orihime nodded. It was necessary. “Have any of these messages threatened me? I mean, if it is who I suspect it is, there is plenty of reason for them to do so. I know Espada doesn’t care about my safety, but I do.”

Nanao shook her head. “No, they’re mostly messages saying that they love Ulquiorra and they want to be with him.”

“Ulquiorra, do you know what Gamuza means?” Orihime asked. She had no idea, but what Nanao just said sounded like Nel to her.

“I don’t know. Nel said Pesche told her the word. I always thought it meant bitch or something.”

Orihime rolled her eyes. It wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t know. He hadn’t known what his dad’s coffee shop’s name meant and it was named after him. “Well, I think Koma and Nanao have your personal security sorted out, but please,” she said, turning to his two handlers, “Don’t keep him in the dark about the crazy stuff. There are people from his past that he’d be able to identify if he knew. It could be taken care of.”

They both agreed, but Ulquiorra’s feeling of peace had evaporated. The dread was settling back in his body. It was a feeling that didn’t go away as they did the show in Miami. When they arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina, the sensation got worse. “I don’t know if I can do this, Orihime,” Ulquiorra told her the night of the concert.

“I’ll be right on the side of the stage, Babe. Don’t worry. This person wants to be with you. They’re not going to hurt you. And after this you’re going to be surrounded by friends. Ichigo messaged me last night. He and Grimmjow and Hailey are going to your show. Get them on the list to come backstage and protect you for me, okay?” she said, hugging him around the waist.

He gave a soft chuckle. “I wouldn’t call Grimmjow or Hailey friends. Ivan I might consider a pest. I’m thinking of asking them to join me. I’m sure I can put something out with a pianist and DJ. Linkin Park did it.”

“They would die for you if you asked them to do that, I’m sure,” she said with a wide grin. “Grimmjow is wrapped around Ivan’s little finger and Hailey is pretty soft on him too, so you get three for one with him.”

“Can Hailey sing? What does she do that can be integrated into Obscuras IV?”

“She’s a mezzo; she can sing some gorgeous back-up vocals and maybe do a some high-register counterpoint for you? Plus she’s fricking beautiful, so that’s always a bonus.”

Ulquiorra kissed Orihime. “You think I care what other women look like.? You’re fricking gorgeous.”

She kissed him back and smiled. “You may not notice, but your audience will.” The opening band came back from the stage then and high-fived Ulquiorra before continuing to their dressing room. “I guess that means you’re up next. I’ll be right here,” she squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek.

He held her for a solid minute before Koma tapped him on the shoulder. Aaron and Ggio were already waiting to go out. “I’ll be there. Give me a second,” he told the manager before he turned back to Orihime. “I love you.”

“I love you so much. Break a leg,” she said with a proud grin.

Another amazing show flew by with Ulquiorra singing his heart out for the redhead who was watching from backstage. He even gave the crowd a bonus song, dedicating it to Orihime. He took her to the airport in the morning and drove back to the hotel in a funk. They’d be headed towards Columbus in a few hours. He still didn’t feel good about this.


	12. Broken

“Absolutely not,” Orihime said, standing up and threatening with her posture to leave. Here she was, at a party with Byakuya fucking-bag-of-dicks-no-personality Kuchiki, and he was leading her around by the elbow and introducing him to people like a show pony. She felt like she was at one of Aunt Claire’s parties.

  
She knew how to smile and nod and make nice first impressions. That was annoying, but fine.

What was not fine was the person she had just been “introduced to”. Not only was it her former professor and opposing party to a lawsuit, Sousuke Aizen, but her boyfriend’s molester, Nemu Kurotsuchi. Byakuya had been working up to this introduction all night long. That album he wanted her to collaborate on? It was with _him_. “No chance in hell,” she said when he asked her to reconsider, grabbing her purse and making quick steps to the exit. She could get a cab back to Soul Society’s main office, where she had left her car.

“She looked displeased, Kuchiki. Why is that, do you think?” the predatory baritone asked in a voice as smooth as silk.

“I have no idea; I’m quite sorry, Dr. Aizen. You know, I’ve always wondered why Urahara never signed her, only using her as a freelance. I guess I have my answer. My apologies.”

A sneer played on Nemu’s lips as the hand she had resting in Aizen’s elbow squeezed. “Would you like to leave? I believe our work here is done,” she spoke in a bland voice despite her inner glee.

“Of course, Nemu dear. Your place or my hotel?”

***

Orihime left a voicemail on Ulquiorra’s phone as soon as she got to her car.

“I saw her. She’s still here. She was here with _him._ My assistant’s brother was trying to broker a collaboration between me and Aizen! I stormed out. I am so upset right now. I’m going home and taking a hot shower. I can’t believe this.”

***

It was two days before the show in Columbus when Ichigo texted Ulquiorra.

  * Dude. You too good for me now? I know Hime has told you we’re coming to your show. HMU and let me know where you are staying at least, we can hang out. From your BFF, Ivan LMAO



Ulquiorra wasn’t happy. He wasn’t happy with what was happening in California. Nanao had also kept him up to date on the stalker thing. They had sent more messages. He’d told Orihime this, one night on the phone. The dreadful feeling was growing and he couldn’t shake it. 

So when he got Ichigo’s text he was glad. So glad that he decided to call the orange-haired male. “Ivan,” Ulquiorra said once the guy picked up.

“Yo, Ollie! Where are you?” Ichigo answered, clearly pleased to hear from his former fellow student.

“I’m at the Hilton in downtown Columbus, Ivan,” Ulquiorra replied. “Are you, Grimmjow, and Hailey free tonight?”

“I’m hanging out doing fuck-all with Hails right now. Grimm is doing something, somewhere, but it’s not important. I could round him up after a while. What did you have in mind?”

“Late dinner or maybe meet up at Sado’s? I want to talk to you three about something.” Ulquiorra paused, “Also you three have VIP tickets for the show. Front row tickets, t-shirts, backstage passes.”

“Wow, I mean, I know we’re friends, but I didn’t know you loved me. I’m flattered,” Ichigo laughed. “Seriously man, thanks that’s awesome, I’m looking forward to it. Late dinner is fine. Sado’s is going to be full of urban cowboys tonight. Pass…” There was a voice in the background and Ichigo was silent for a second. “Take that back, line dancin’ and romancin’ is tomorrow. Sado’s is cool.”

His nose wrinkled at the mention of anything to do with country music. “We need a place that is quiet and low distraction. Uh, there’s a--no you probably eat the stuff around campus all the time. There’s a place near the hotel called Park’s Cantina or something. How about we meet there around nine or ten?”

“Awesome, see you there.” Ichigo said and hung up.

***

Nel sat on her bed in her dorm room. Michelle sat across from her. They both were on their phones talking to the same woman: Nemu Kurotsuchi. It was probably dumb to have a group conversation on social media, but Nemu didn’t want to give out her phone number to the college students. It was fine. If everything went according to plan, there would be no need to talk anymore about this. If Nel had her way, she’d be with Ulquiorra after the concert on Saturday. That bitchy redhead would see the video and drop him like a sad sack of shit. That’s what he was, anyway.

Ulquiorra Cifer was a loser. He was a user. He was a manipulator. He had strung Nel along for the past fourteen years and he was due for a rude awakening.

Of course they had the help of Ulq’s former stylist, who was hella salty about what happened between them. Nemu had told the women that after they came back from Austin, Ulquiorra had gotten drunk and they had sex. There was even video of some of it.

After they did it, the musician claimed that Nemu had attacked him.

It sounded like something that Ulquiorra would say. Boohoo, he was the victim. He was never the victim. He was the one who had accepted the drinks from Nel that night. He was the one who said she could kiss him. He was the one who had a handful of her ass when they got caught. And damn that red headed slut for interrupting them and coming into his life.

Nel had her own plans, though. They would work. Ulquiorra would come crawling back to her.

***

Orihime was so tired of all the bullshit going on around her. She was ready to snap. She had had it out with Rukia that morning for letting her brother try to set her up with Aizen. She should have known. 

She had rescheduled her meeting with her therapist for that afternoon, so she was pleased to have an excuse to leave the office early, not that she needed one. She spoke with Dr. Tristan about the thing with Aizen, and talked in general about her history of abuse. Then Dr. Tristan asked her the million dollar question:

“Do you think you seek out people who are abusive, Orihime?”

“No, why would you ask that?” Orihime was shocked.

“It’s a common pattern. Abuse victims frequently put themselves in positions in which they are easily revictimized. I’m not saying you do, I’m just saying some people do.”

“Well, I certainly don’t!” Orihime spat. Dr. Tristan was quiet. It gave Orihime time to think.

Did she? She had allowed Aizen to victimize her. She had justified it by saying she was between a rock and a hard place, which _was_ true, but it was still a choice she made for a month and a half. “Maybe I have…” Orihime said quietly.

Dr. Tristan nodded. “And who do you allow to victimize you?”

“No one anymore. The last one was this Aizen guy from the party.”

“Oh? What about your boyfriend? Is he abusive?”

“What?!” Orihime was seething now. “Listen, doctor, Ulquiorra is kind. He would never hurt me!”

“That’s not what you said at your first session with me. You came to me specifically because you had been so deeply hurt by him that it was threatening your relationship. Why don’t you tell me about how he hurt you and we can go from there”

***

Orihime left her therapy appointment feeling confused. All the old hurt that she had pushed aside had resurfaced. She loved him. She knew he loved her. And yet he had done what he had done. He had hurt her frequently. Was that abusive? She wasn’t sure. Dr. Tristan didn’t seem to be telling her whether it was or wasn’t; she just kept asking Orihime how she felt about it.

Orihime went back to her place and decided to do some sunbathing. She went for a swim. She made a nice salad and ate it while watching some television talent contest. She took a shower and was getting ready for bed when she got a text from an unknown number.

  * Think you know your boyfriend? Probably not as well as I do.



There was a link after the message. Orihime didn’t want to look. She didn’t look. She called Ulquiorra. There was no answer. She called again, and there was no answer. She wasn’t going to be able to sleep. It was probably something stupid anyway.

Then, a thought occurred to her. What if it was his stalker? What if it was a person that she hadn’t previously suspected? She better find out. She sat on her bed and clicked the link.

Her tentative happiness shattered.

***

Ulquiorra didn’t get back to his hotel until late. The dinner with Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Hailey had gone well, and they had decided to meet up again the following day for a rehearsal. He hadn’t noticed that his phone had been ringing or that there three missed calls and one text message. After he stepped out of his shoes and emptied his pockets, he saw the notifications. He opened the text first. It was from Orihime. It was a doozy.

  * I just got a message from an unknown number with a video of Nemu giving you a handjob. Please tell me this is fake. It looks like you have no problems with what she was doing. Is this for real?



He felt sick to his stomach. Nemu hadn’t been lying. She had recorded it. Orihime had probably seen it if she was asking about it. He clenched his jaw. He should have known their happy little domestic life wouldn’t last long.

\- If that’s what it looks like, it’s been edited, so that’s not really what happened. I told you what happened. She tried to do that twice. The first time I got hard because she reminded me of the blowjob you gave me in Austin. I quickly got myself out of that situation.

\- The second time she couldn’t get me hard. I felt too violated to even give her an inch.

Orihime wanted to believe him. She really, really did. The conversation she had with Dr. Tristan earlier that day had cast doubts over what she had believed. She needed the truth.

  * It doesn’t look especially edited. It looks like you’re not just letting her do it, but that you like it. Please tell me that’s not what happened.



He was getting irritated. Why would Nemu release this video to Orihime? What was the point? She probably didn’t believe him because of the thing with Nel. Orihime probably wasn’t over that. 

\- That is not what happened. It’s edited. Nemu threatened to have some professional people that she knew edit it to look like that. C’mon Veggs, I love you. I don’t want anyone but you.

That was right. He had told her that Nemu had said that. She took a deep breath and sighed, shaking off her doubts. He loved her. They were going to be starting a life together in a few weeks. He had been traumatized by what Nemu had done. Pressing her eyes closed for a moment, she chastised herself before replying.

  * Thank you. I love you, too. I’m sorry… I needed to hear that from you again. I saw Dr. Tristan today and we talked about the Aizen thing and she asked me about my relationship with you. I had to tell her everything so it’s kind of fresh in my mind and after the Aizen thing yesterday and now this… It was just too much. Have you had a chance to talk to Dr. Soifon about the party with Nel yet?



Ulquiorra sighed. Was this doctor was putting ideas into his girlfriend’s head? That’s the last thing he needed right now.

\- No we’re talking about the last “intimate” encounter I had with Nel so that was at the beginning of September. I’ll bring it up this next video appointment I have with her. It really pisses me off that this asshat boss of yours didn’t even check his shit. Fuck Aizen and fuck Nemu.

  * I know… it’s just… Did you think of me at all that night? The night of the party? Was I even a concern to you? Or was I, and you just didn’t care? I just don’t know how to justify it and Dr. Tristan wants me to tell her if I seek out people who want to victimize me and I don’t know how to answer.



He bit the inside of his cheek. Yeah, he had thought of Orihime, but as soon as the alcohol had soaked into his brain, he hadn’t thought of much else except that pleasant fuzzy brain feeling. Maybe it was time to own up to the truth.

\- I did think of you until the booze hit. Then I was selfish. That’s my problem and I have to deal with it. I have no reason or excuse for what I did with Nel. You know this. We’ve discussed this.

He still was missing a piece of the puzzle.

  * But that doesn’t explain why selfish you wanted her at the expense of me. If you wanted me and not her, the selfish thing to do would have been to dump her off your lap and find me.



\- Because drunk me didn’t think about it. Drunk me also succumbed to what Nel was doing. Drunk me is an asshole.

He sighed after he sent the text.

She read it. It didn’t add up. Drunk people don’t forget who they are. They don’t totally not care. They just give up the part of themselves that pretends that they care.

  * You can’t say you were so drunk that your entire personality changed. Part of non-drunk you didn’t care that it would hurt me. Part of you maybe wanted to hurt me. Or part of you wanted Nel more than you wanted me. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, it doesn’t totally change who you are.



Why did she keep persisting with this subject? Ulquiorra did not want to tell her why he did it. It made him feel like shit and a bad person when he thought about it. It used to float through his mind all the time but since he had gotten back with Orihime, not so much. 

This wasn’t something that should be told over a text message. 

Maybe Ulquiorra should have called Doctor Soifon first. 

\- That was my first time getting drunk. Nel knew how to turn me on. I was scared about us. I was scared of falling in love. I was scared that the rumors were true. I guess there was a part of me that wanted to hurt you because of the thing with Aizen. I want to say I’m sorry but we both know you won’t accept it. I love you and I am truly sorry and deeply regret that it happened.

So either this was true and he had lied about loving her before that first show at Sado’s, or he was lying now. Honestly, the former gave her more comfort than the latter. Either way, it sucked. It was always going to suck, though.

  * when did you actually fall in love with me?



He tapped her name. He would not tell her this through a text message. She deserved to hear his voice for this answer.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded hoarse.

“I fell in love with you when I found out who you were but it was that teenager love. The shallow infatuation shit. After the Thanksgiving thing and you told me that you didn’t want to be with me, I realized I loved you and it was more than that. I fall in love with you every day, Orihime.” Ulquiorra didn’t bother greeting her. He was baring his soul to her. “I know I was wrong but I was scared. I’m still scared because I don’t know what the future is going to hold for us. I want to be with you. I want to make plans with you. I want to make music with you. For some reason, I’ve wanted you ever since you left that first comment.”

It was a lot to process. It stung, knowing that the Ulquiorra she had fallen in love with back in September hadn’t been in love with her the way she had believed. That was a very bitter pill to swallow. Then, when he said he had fallen in love with her after Thanksgiving, and knowing how he had treated her in December; how he had thrown himself at Nemu afterwards… It also hurt. He had not treated her kindly during that time. He had not considered her feelings at that time. He had become angry because she didn’t simper and magically succumb to his advances. Was he abusive?

She didn’t think so. She also believed that despite the past, he loved her now. Whether that made her a fool would have to be something she decided was worth the risk or not. She knew what her answer would be. Still, she had to have a day or two to deal with the sting.

“I see. Our experiences were different. It’s going to take some time for me to reconcile that,” she finally said in hushed tones.

“Okay. What does that mean for us?” Ulquiorra didn’t sound hopeful. He sounded miserable. He had spent the long silence thinking about that night. He thought about every bad thing that he had said or done to the woman.

She took a loud breath. “I love you, Ulquiorra. I just found out that the timeline of our relationship has been grossly out of synch since the beginning. I need some time to deal with that.”

His mouth trembled. Ulquiorra had to keep it together. “I love you. I understand that. Maybe things will be sorted out when I get back. If not, I can wait until you’re comfortable.” With that being said, he exhaled a breath. He was lying to himself.

“Thank you. I know it wasn’t easy for you to tell me, but I had to know.” Her throat constricted and she couldn’t say what she wanted to say, that she knew that by the time he came back that she would welcome him back with open arms. She opened her mouth to say it, but only a hitched breath came out.

He gave a nod although she couldn’t see it. “I am sorry, Orihime. I am sorry I treated you like that. I’m sorry I made you feel like that. I regret it.”

“I hope you don’t regret everything,” she murmured. “I love you. Have fun in Columbus.”

“No, I just regret every bad thing, Nel, and Nemu. I love you too. I think I’ve got Ivan, Grimm, and Hailey on board with my idea. I was having dinner with them when you called. I miss you.”

“Well, ask Nanao to record it, will you?” She offered him a small laugh. “I miss those guys. Tell them I say hi. I miss you.”

Ulquiorra chuckled. “If all goes to plan, they could be coming out to Cali and recording something with me. Hopefully I can add them to Obscuras IV.”

That made her laugh. “Wow, it’s like anybody can join these days. Well, everyone except me. I’m too much of a star, I guess,” she joked. She didn’t want him feeling guilty about that, too.

“If I can get Espada to approve it, I’m kicking Ggio and Aaron to the curb,” he said. “Also, you wouldn’t want to bum around with us. We’re nobodies. You’re going to be America’s sweetheart one of these days.”

“Ha! I told you I wasn’t that good of a person. America’s sweetheart doesn’t get caught on tape blowing her boyfriend. Alas, I just look innocent.” A slow grin stretched her lips. “I think I just had an idea for my next YouTube video. How do you feel about Britney Spears?”

A laugh left him. “Yeah? Which one? Oops I did it again? Toxic? Oooh could we find you a red latex suit? That was old school Brit.”

“Oops I Did It Again”, she answered. “I think a red latex suit might be a bit much for YouTube, though,” she chuckled. She was glad. Despite the truly heavy amount of emotional baggage she had to sort through, she was confident that in the end, everything would be fine. They were fine. They just needed to do the work.

“I love you, Veggs.” Ulquiorra wanted her to know that. He loved her like no one else would love her. “I will tell you that every day. I’m going to let you go. Practice the song. I’ll watch it when you post it.”

“Okay. I love you too, Ernie,” she said with a soft voice. “Goodnight.”

***

He was about to take the stage. His dad was standing next to him. The man looked rough. “Are you okay Dad?”

“I’m fine Ulq,” Jon said with a quick smile. 

Ulquiorra felt guilty that hadn’t called or texted his dad in weeks. He looked at the screen of his phone. He had FaceTimed Orihime minutes before his dad showed up. “Dad’s going to have my phone for this show. He’s going to have it pointed at the stage. I miss you. I hope you enjoy listening to the songs again. Thank you for being kinda here.” 

“Thank you for having me. I miss you too. Hi Jon! I miss you too!” she said as the older Cifer’s head came into view behind Ulquiorra’s.

“Hello Kiddo! How’s the new place treating you?” Jon asked offering a smile to the young woman. 

“Dad, you guys can chat after the show,” Ulquiorra said before he gave the man a hug and walked onto the stage. 

The crowd was loud. The energy was high. Ulquiorra sang and played his heart out again for his home state. It was too dark for him to spy the head of greenish-teal hair in the sea of people. He didn’t feel the anxiety he usually felt, so he let himself have fun and relax as he performed. 

As the concert ended and he said goodnight to the crowd, Ulquiorra retreated to the backstage area. His dad was holding his phone but the screen was black. “Did she hang up?”

“I don’t know the thing was just going blurry and then she said something which I didn’t catch. Then it was call ended,” Jon replied, handing Ulquiorra his phone. He placed a hand on Ulquiorra’s shoulder. “You did amazing, son. It was an experience to see my kid sing in front of an entire sea of people! Surreal almost.”

Ulquiorra didn’t care who was watching as he gave his dad a tight hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in the man’s ear. “Don’t worry about the call with Orihime. I’ll talk to her later. I missed you, Dad.”

“Oh buddy, you know I love you. Sometimes I’m not happy with the choices you make, but I still love you.” Jon squeezed Ulquiorra then let him go. “I’m going to get back home. I’ve got--”

“I know. Thanks for coming.”

The green-eyed male watched his dad leave through the people who were rushing around backstage. He started walking toward the room where the people with VIP tickets were waiting. His phone started buzzing.

Ulquiorra’s eyes went wide as he saw what was on his screen. Twenty pictures had popped up from an unknown number. They all contained Orihime and some dude with a severe look and thin strips of metal in his hair. It made him sick to his stomach. Was this why she had called the other day about the video? Was she cheating on him to get revenge?

Was this why she needed time?

“What the fuck is going on Ulq?” Nanao asked as she came up to him. “That’s your girlfriend in these photos. The guy with her? That’s Byakuya Kuchiki.”

***

Orihime hadn’t meant to let the video call end, but her phone started ringing off the hook before the concert had ended. Finally the constant barrage of calls and texts interrupted the video enough that she tapped over to one. It was from Kisuke.

“What is it? I’m in the middle of somethi—“

“Orihime,” the older man interrupted. “I’ll believe you, but you have to tell me the truth. Have you had sexual relations with Byakuya Kuchiki?”

“What?!” The knee jerk indignation was strong in her voice. “Absolutely not. I know he works for you, but I really strongly dislike him.”

A heavy sigh. “Orihime, I hate to be the one to tell you but… Just check your texts and call me back.”

Orihime was in a hurry to call Ulquiorra’s phone back and catch the end of the concert. In her impatience, she kind of dismissed the disturbed quality of Kisuke’s voice and opened the text message without any kind of mental preparation.

When her eyes registered what she was looking at, her hands started trembling and she had to sit down. What the hell? Why would her assistant’s brother do this?”

Orihime put her hand to her chest and took a couple of deep breaths, willing herself to calm down and think. That’s when it came to her: Dr. Aizen. Nemu. They were at that party. Orihime had never before or after spent any time with Byakuya. Aizen and Nemu were the only two people at that party who had a motive to smear Orihime’s reputation.

Orihime scrambled to call Kisuke back and explained who she thought was behind the pictures.

“She did the same thing to Ulquiorra. I got an edited video that showed her giving him a hand job. He swears that’s not what happened and I believe him. Oh shit…”

He was going to get these. Whoever sent the hand job video to her was going to send these to him. Orihime blurted out, “It’s time to show the world what you have on Nemu,” then hung up on Kisuke and tried to call Ulquiorra. 

***

Ulquiorra did not want to walk into that room where the meet and greet was happening. He didn’t want people to stare at him. From where he stood in the doorway he could see some of the VIPs already looking at their phones and talking. He couldn’t blame anyone but himself. He had aligned himself with Orihime. Their names were attached to each other.

His phone started vibrating with a phone call. 

Veggs.

Oh hell no. There was no way he was talking to her right now. Ulquiorra couldn’t. There were images of his girlfriend fucking someone else. An irrational jealousy had spread through his brain. Was that what she was doing before she came to Miami? Was that what she was doing after she left Charlotte?

No, that wasn’t Orihime.

The proof was staring him in the face.

“Ulquiorra, you have to go in there,” Nanao said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t. She’s calling me. Can’t we postpone this…” He knew there was no way that could happen. This was the only concert date that had a post show meet and greet. There were smiling faces everywhere. 

This was overwhelming.

Now coupled with the latest news about Orihime…

Overwhelming wasn’t the word for it. Ulquiorra felt like he was drowning.

***

“C’mon!” Orihime growled as the call went to voicemail. “It’s me, call me back. It’s an emergency.” She almost hung up. “I love you,” she added.

It was time to call Urahara and get to work.

***

It was almost midnight and Ulquiorra felt like death. He was tired. He was thirsty. He was pissed off. There were about five more people to take photos with and sign an autograph for. It was understandable he didn’t notice who moved up to the table. 

“Wow Ulqui, you’re looking rough.”

Automatically his head snapped up and he found himself looking at a familiar face; hazel eyes and teal hair. Nel. He did not need this today. He did not need this right now. “Do I need to call security?” he snapped at Nel.

“Why?” Nel asked scrunching her face up.

Ulquiorra mimicked the facial expression. “Because how the hell did you get in here?”

“I did pay for the Ultimate VIP package, so that means I--”

“Fine, let’s get this over with,” the musician said in a weary tone.

He heard Nel scoff. “I don’t want to if you’re going to be shitty about it. I can get my five hundred dollars back.” She bit her lip and for a second, Nel looked innocent and vulnerable. He almost felt sorry for bitching at her. “I’m sorry to hear about Orihime. I bet seeing the video was a shock.”

“Video? What fucking video?”

“Oh. I don’t think--Nevermind.”

“What video Nelliel?”

Nanao came up to them. “Is there a problem?” she smiled.

“No, I’m Nel, an old friend of Ulq’s. He can tend to the other VIP people and I can wait.”

It was fifteen minutes later Ulquiorra cornered her. “What video?”

She bit her lip again. “There’s a video of Orihime having sex with that guy in the pictures. I follow her name and yours on gossip forums. Right now people are having a field day.”

A video? There was a fucking video? Ulquiorra clenched his fists and glared daggers at the teal-haired woman. “Show me.”

Nel showed him, pulling up the post on the gossip forum she frequented. It sounded like Orihime. The woman looked like Orihime. The guy kind of looked like that Kuchiki fuckhead. ”Whatever,” he snapped after it ended. 

“I’m just trying to be a friend, Ulq--”

“No you’re not Nelliel! You’ve never been a friend! All you have been for the past four years is someone who wanted to use me. This is not being friends! You’re not helping me.” Ulquiorra turned and left the room, stomping past everyone and out to the tour bus.

***

Orihime was beside herself. Ulquiorra still hadn’t responded and it was well past one in the morning his time. She couldn’t just let this fester. Even if he didn’t know yet, she knew he would think she was trying to hide something if she stayed quiet about something like this. Because of the time, she decided to text.

  * I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet, but someone is feeding the gossip sites doctored images and some bogus video of me and that jerk that tried to make a deal between me and Aizen. It’s gotta be the same person who sent me the video of you and Nemu. Please call me when you read this. I love you.



She sent the message and went back to the staggering amount of data staring at her from the screen of the computer in Kisuke’s home office. It was so much. It was going to take time to go through. The video of her and Ulquiorra in Austin. Texts, emails, and conversations between Nel and Michelle, Nel and Nemu, Michelle and Nemu, Nemu and Aizen, Aizen and Michelle. Pictures. So much to go through. She was feeling overwhelmed.

  
“Kisuke, did you… Did you watch these videos?” Orihime asked with dread creeping up her spine.

“I’m sorry, Orihime. I did see bits and pieces of them. I turned them off when I recognized what I was seeing. I asked Yoruichi to watch for me. I don’t judge you, sweetheart. You’re an adult in a loving relationship. I know you didn’t make these recordings on your own, either. I don’t condemn you for what is on the videos or in these pictures, so please don’t look like that,” he said, watching her face crumple in humiliation.

“I know, it’s just…” she paused as a sob jerked through her chest. “Everyone-- anyone who wants to see me like this can. It’s such a violation of privacy. I don’t have any control over who sees me…” she started to cry.

“There, there, Hime-chan, these things happen when you’re in the public eye. It’s not right or fair, but it happens. It will blow over. When we get to the bottom of all this, your name will be cleared and--”

  
“But the damage is done! No matter whether the truth comes out or if my name is cleared, the image of me blowing my boyfriend and these doctored images of me and Byakuya are on the internet forever! This is going to follow me for the rest of my life!”

Kisuke was feeling out of his depth. “Now, now, why don’t you go to sleep. We can deal with it in the morning. I’ll have Rukia come and help you. This is your priority, _starting tomorrow_ ,” he insisted, turning off the monitor to his computer. “Now go to bed. Try to sleep. Drink something warm and you will have some better perspective in the morning.”

Orihime couldn’t take it. She turned without another word and went back to the pool house and started tearing shit up. Pillows from the living room sofa went flying. A cardboard box sitting out on the counter was destroyed. A notebook’s pages were obliterated. A kitchen stool was upturned. A path of destruction followed Orihime up to her room and then she tore her shirt off and got into a steaming hot shower and wailed. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. Why did this kind of shit always happen to her? She was a good person!

An hour later she got out and checked her phone. He had read her message. He hadn’t responded.

He didn’t believe her.

***

If Aaron and Ggio learned anything on this tour about their lead singer, it was he wasn’t a nice drunk person. He sat at the table in the bus, mumbling angrily while doing the shots they laid out in front of him. It was almost dawn when they hit Chicago and stopped for the day. Everyone knew he was in a foul mood, so Koma had gotten him his own room. Ulquiorra appreciated it, but it still didn’t lessen the anger brewing in his brain.

He did the only thing he knew to do. He called Orihime, not caring it was probably late in California.

She had her phone in hand when it started to ring, and she was so startled that she almost dropped it. She saw the caller id and she could have died, she felt such profound relief wash over her. 

“Hello? Ulquiorra? Oh, thank god!”

“Is he better than me? Is this what you needed time for?” He asked in a slurred voice.

“What? No! You read my message. It was the same person who sent the video of you and Nemu. It’s totally fake. The pictures are photoshopped and the video; I don’t even know who those people are, but neither of them are me. You can’t believe them,” she pleaded.

He scoffed. “There is a difference between the videos. That sounds like you. That looks like you. Those pictures don’t looked photoshopped, Orihime. They look like actual photos that were taken. You texted me asking if that video was real; it felt like you were accusing me of cheating on you. Then I get these texts and I got to see a video of this from fucking Nel of all god damn people in the world.”

“Wha-- Ulquiorra! I didn’t accuse you! I asked you to tell me that it wasn’t what it looked like. That video was _clearly_ you enjoying Nemu jerking you off, but you told me it wasn’t what it looked like and I believed you. All I asked was for you to tell me it wasn’t true. I’m telling you that these aren’t true. I texted you as soon as I found out. I knew you were still on stage because Kisuke called me about it while I was watching you. I called you at least eight times after that and texted again when you didn’t respond to my voicemail. Someone is trying to come between us! Do you really believe I would cheat on you? After everything I’ve said and everything we’ve been through?” She was desperate and she sounded like it.

Shaking his head, Ulquiorra walked over to the minibar and opened it, taking out one of the small bottles. He opened it and tipped the contents back into his mouth. “I don’t know Orihime. You have no one out there. You’re probably lonely. Aizen is magically out in California now. What am I supposed to think? After all the mice will play when the cat is away.”

“You think that we’re a cat and mouse? Ulquiorra, you’re my partner. My person. You know I would never jeopardize that. I didn’t when we were broken up; I certainly wouldn’t do it now! I have no interest in anyone but you! You know how I feel--” she started to cry, hard, and it was making her gasp roughly between phrases. “I told you about how scared I am of Aizen. You know I don’t like older men. You know I love you.”

She could say that all day long,but she still let all these people touch her and use her. “I don’t know what to think right now. I’m pretty fucking drunk.”

Her sanity felt stretched to its limits. She couldn’t really think clearly. The only thing she could do was cling to her only hope. “I love you. I love you so much, Ulquiorra. Please,” she sobbed.

He wanted to tell her it was okay but it wasn’t okay. Whatever was happening was not okay. “I don’t think we should have this conversation while I’m drunk, Vega. I love you, but fuck, do you know what it’s like to be in a room full of people who know your fucking business and they’re looking at you with pity?”

“Yes.” She really, _really_ , did.

“Everyone,” he snapped, “they knew. They looked at me like I was a fucking fool. I even got a couple of numbers. Threw them away because I’m not like that. Aaron and Ggio said, let’s have some drinks. It would make me feel better. I don’t feel any fucking better. I’m angry about this. We should talk when I’m sober.”

“Okay,” she whimpered. “Promise?”

Taking a deep breath then exhaling, Ulquiorra replied, “Yes. We will talk when I’m sober and hopefully not so--irritated. That’s not you in the video is it? Or the pictures? Just… just tell me that.”

“It’s not me. It’s my face on someone else’s body in the pictures. It’s not me at all in the video. I swear,” she pledged in a shaky voice.

“We will talk tomorrow night. I hope there is some fucking answer for this.”

“I’m working on it with Kisuke. He let me see his computer tonight. There is so much to comb through… But the answer is there, I’m sure of it.”

***

The next morning gave Ulquiorra one hell of a hangover. Komamura looked at him with disapproval as he stumbled out of his room, looking like death.

“Did you talk to your girlfriend? Do we know who is behind this?”

“What?” Ulquiorra asked as they rode the elevator down to the lobby. He remembered bits and pieces of his conversation with Orihime, but he thought it was just a dream. “I didn’t talk to anyone last night. At least I don’t remember talking to anyone.”

“This needs to get resolved. Do you remember anything about yesterday?”

“Duh,” he said like a petulant brat. “Those fucking pictures. That video. Drinking.”

Koma nodded before he took the entire crew to a place to eat. Ulquiorra mostly sipped on coffee as he swiped through the photos. “Nan,” Ulquiorra said.

“Yeah?”

He handed her his phone. “If she calls, could you tell her to fuck off? I need more time to process this.”

***

Orihime waited. And waited. And waited. 

She didn’t wait idly, though. She had woken up relatively early and got back onto Kisuke’s computer. It was all here. The pictures and video clearly went from Nemu to Nel. This was it. 

Not only that, but there was plenty of evidence there to incriminate all three women including Michelle, and, at the very least, cost Aizen his position at the university. She just had to get it into the right hands.

But first things first, she had to talk to Ulquiorra. She was disappointed that he didn’t believe her words, but honestly, the photos and video were shocking. She could forgive him for having a hard time accepting that what he saw with his own eyes was not true, despite her already doing the same for him.

By the time mid-afternoon hit, she couldn’t take the wait anymore. She called him.

“Ulquiorra Cifer. He’s not available at the moment. He requests that for the time being that you refrain--”

“I told you to tell her to fuck off and I needed time.”

Nanao sighed. “Refrain from calling him.”

“Oh.” She had heard Ulquiorra in the background. “Could you, um, tell him that I have proof?” she asked, her voice growing increasingly small as a fresh feeling of dread started to pull at her heart.

“One moment.” Nanao put the phone on mute and turned to look at her boss. “She has proof.”

“I still need time. Tell her to send it to my email and I’ll take a look at it,” Ulquiorra stated.

“You’re a diva.” Nanao unmuted the call. “Could you send what you have to his email address? He says that he’ll look it over once he has a chance.”

Orihime couldn’t believe this. There was nothing she could do, though. “Oh, okay. Goodbye, Nanao,” she said softly, trying not to let her voice get too thick.

When the assistant hung up, she felt sorry for the redhead. Once again, Nanao turned to Ulquiorra who was writing in a notebook. “You’re an asshole.”

“I know.”

“What are you going to do if she has proof? You’ve probably damaged your relationship with her.”

Ulquiorra shrugged. Right now he didn’t want to think about it. If he had turned their relationship into something they couldn’t repair, he would spend the rest of his days alone. He’d wish the best for Orihime. No biggie. Right now, though, he hurt; his pride and his heart were aching. He needed to process what was happening. He needed to do a bit of thinking about why people would try and take his happiness away from him. 

He never wanted all of this. Ulquiorra had never chased fame. He wanted to make music. He wanted to meet Vega.Strife00. He wanted to be himself. He wanted normality for his life. The only thing he hadn’t gotten was the normal thing. He continued to write in his notebook. More heart breaking lyrics and sad songs were penned onto the pages. He about had enough to make another album.

He needed time to think things over.

***

Orihime _knew_. She knew that if he was telling her to fuck off, no simple screenshots would exonerate her in his mind. The proof had to be big. It had to be bold. It had to be undeniable. She wrote him an email. It wasn’t what he was expecting, though.

_Dear Ulquiorra,_

_I know you don’t want to hear this, but I love you. I have loved you and been in love with you from that first time in the practice room at OSU when we sang All My Life together. Since that day, I have never even imagined myself with anyone but you._

_I know you’re hurting, but your lack of faith is hurting me, too. Regardless, I understand that the images that were released look damning. I understand that you don’t forgive me for allowing myself to be molested. I understand that despite knowing what Nel and Nemu have done to try to smear my reputation and yours, and to tear us apart, you still can’t stop “listening to other people.”_

_I get it. I know. And I forgive you._

_However, I know that the proof I can give you will not clear your mind from the doubt you have in me. It should, but it won’t. So I’m going to tear the roof off this thing. It’s going to take me a bit of time to do this properly. This isn’t going to be like the lawsuit. People are going down for this._

_My image is forever tarnished. Even if I can clear my name publicly, it is always going to be attached to the video of us in Austin and the photoshopped pictures from last night. That’s on the internet forever. The dismissed lawsuit news and all that… People are going to believe what they want to believe no matter what evidence I produce to the contrary. It’s only going to get worse, too. In order to do what I have to do to get justice, I’ll have to give away control of my image. There are pictures stolen from your phone. Pictures stolen from my phone. There are recordings of us in your dorm room. There is so much._

_I can’t implicate Kisuke in this. The only way to do that is to leak all of it. It may take some time for the truth to rise to the surface. You said you needed time anyway. I hope it’s enough. I hope it’s not too much._

_I am broken. I miss you. I love you._

_Vega_


	13. Exposed

The next two weeks passed by as slowly as they possibly could. There was nothing to distract Ulquiorra from thinking about the email Orihime had sent or the miles that were behind him or in front of him. Once he landed in Los Angeles and was taken to the Laguna Beach house, the musician stood looking at his bed. He was supposed to be with Orihime right now. They had plans. They had outlined the rest of their lives together in this room.

The panic attack came on quickly, and Ulquiorra clutched his chest in an effort to breathe. Why did this hurt to so much? He didn’t know what to do as he flopped to the floor and stared at the plush rug. Why did he always do this?

Ulquiorra knew he couldn’t stay here. He didn’t want to stay in this house with its memories or broken dreams. He picked up his phone.

“Hello Ulq. I know you’re back from your tour. Great job! We should celebrate. I also have a check for you,” Maria said when she answered.

“Mom?” he gasped.

“What’s wrong?” For once in her life, Maria sounded concerned about him.

He was still trying to catch his breath. “Can I--Can I come stay with you? I don’t--I can’t be alone right now. I need--”

“Absolutely, I just put you down--”

“Don’t; just come pick me up, okay?” He didn’t want to hear her excuses.

Three hours later he was sitting in traffic with his mother’s SUV full of his things. When his mother arrived, she took one look at him before giving him a tight hug. He had to fight not to cry. He was being an emotional prat about all of this, but he was allowed to be like this. It was okay once in a while. His mom seemed to know what he needed, because she distracted him while several men came in and packed his things. 

“What about--”

“Shhh, don’t worry about it. I’ll have the housekeeper come in tomorrow. Maybe in a week or two you can come back and do a sweep and see if you’ve missed anything,” Maria said as they got into the vehicle. 

It was another two hours until he was in his mother’s Malibu house. She tucked him into bed and told him not to worry about his stuff. It would be brought inside. “Sleep. Relax. You just came back from a tour. You deserve it. I’m going to make some calls. Have you talked to the doctor yet?”

Ulquiorra never answered her. He just stared out the huge window. He couldn’t see the sunset from this angle.

***

It was all set up. All she had to do was pull the trigger. As soon as she did, everything on Michelle’s computer would be accessible to anyone with the link, all changes would be logged and saved onto the website, and all previously contained information copied. As soon as it was done, the kill switch Szayel had written into the program would activate, and everything would be untraceable on their part. Part of Orihime hesitated. There was a decent chance that even after all this happened, Ulquiorra was not going to take her back. She had a lot to lose by letting this out into the world.

Today was not the day for that, though. Today she recorded a video in the great room of Kisuke and Yoruichi’s house; there was better lighting and acoustics there. There was also a white grand piano she could use there. She’d been working on this song for several of weeks; even before the doctored video and photographs came out. She had wanted to record it for Ulquiorra while he was out on the road to encourage him.

Obviously that didn’t happen.

Still, the lyrics rang true. She needed him. She loved him. He inspired her. She had never done a spoken introduction for a video before, but she did this time.

She wore the green dress. She sat on the piano bench and faced the camera with a sad, wistful smile, and spoke directly to him. 

“I’ve been working on this song for you for a while now. I… I want you to know that I love very much. Um, I don’t know if you’ll watch this, but if you do, I want you to know that I mean every word. This is Chicago’s You’re the Inspiration.”

She sat and played the song and sang the lyrics with all the feeling she could muster without falling to pieces. When the song ended, she wiped her eyes, sniffed, and smiled with red-rimmed eyes at the camera before shutting it off. She uploaded it as-is.

She sent Nanao an email asking her to mention the video if she thought it was a good idea. A week from today would be the day all hell would break loose.

***

His mother waited another two weeks before she couldn’t stand it. They were sitting in her kitchen. Ulquiorra was eating a bowl of cereal and flipping through his phone. “Ulq, have you thought about buying your own place?”

He snorted. “I don’t have that much money. After Espada took their cut and the costs of the accountant and other people I needed… I can’t even find a house out in the middle of nowhere with half a million dollars, Mom. I know I’m getting on your nerves. I’m sorry.”

“What did you spend four million dollars on?”

“What?” Ulquiorra’s head snapped up and he gave his mother a disgruntled look. “What the hell are you talking about?”

It was Maria’s turn to give a snort of laughter. “Your dad didn’t tell you? It figures. He struggled so much trying to raise you without my help.”

“I still have no clue what you’re going on about.”

“You have access to one account but your father made me put any excess payments into a different account. I was the one who kept going back to the court and telling them to raise the child support payments,” Maria said. She swirled her coffee in her cup and frowned. “I know I was a shitty mom, Ulquiorra. Your dad did a great job at raising you to be the man that you are. You’re a bit closed off like me, but I’m proud to call you my kid. I just wanted to make sure you had everything that you wanted.”

Maria was choking up and Ulquiorra just stared at her. He’d never heard his mom get emotional about anything. It was kind of surreal to hear her sniffling and see her wipe her eyes. “You’re the one who kept going back to the courts to raise your own child support?” He asked.

The blonde woman nodded. “I’ve done well in life. There was no reason to keep that from you. Your father said he could do this without my help. I told him okay. It was there though. He said he’d tell you about it when you got older. Jon didn’t want to give you access to it and let you blow it all in one go. I’m due for a bonus soon. I always give you a little extra when I get them.”

“I’m over eighteen. You don’t have to keep doing this--”

“I’m only giving you somewhat of a free ride until you hit twenty-one. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

She rinsed the cup out and set it on the counter. “Just think about it, okay? You can get a house or an apartment, condo, townhouse with what you have. I’d like it if you stayed close, but you need your own space.”

He said nothing as Maria left for the day. He’d gotten several texts from Nanao. 

**Nan** : Orihime uploaded a new video. You’ve got a couple of interviews coming up. Soifon wants to meet on Wed. 

**Nan** : It’s Father’s Day. Call your DAD!

**Nan** : You should talk to her. At least give her a chance to explain.

Ulquiorra sighed, knowing he should call Orihime and talk to her, but he couldn’t. Not yet. He needed more time. He still needed to process things.

**Ulquiorra:** Thanks. I’ll call him in a bit. Tell SF okay, see her Wednesday.

**Nan** : Coward. :|

He shook his head before putting his bowl into the sink. He’d wash it later. 

***

Long before the whole Byakuya debacle happened, Orihime had done a couple of auditions for singing roles on television series and movies. She had been selected to do a one-off bit part for a long-running crime drama. Her role was that of a young, sexy lounge singer who is murdered within the first two minutes of the episode. She had accepted the job, and despite the one line of dialogue and one song, she was scheduled to be on set for nearly five days.

She was glad she had a passport, because the shoot was in Vancouver.

She had decided to keep a low profile with this job and decided to use the name Vega Highwell for her credit. She didn’t need the attention; especially after what she was planning to do before she left Canada.

So, the Wednesday after she uploaded the song dedicated to Ulquiorra on YouTube, she got on a flight and got to work. She rehearsed with the musical director and recorded the isolated audio of the song, Etta James’ _Trust in Me_. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the choice. It was way too coincidental.

The remaining days she had to be on set - in costume and make-up and available - for the director to call her in on a moment’s notice. Her scene was important to the story, but not  _ that _ important, so they were fitting it in whenever there was time on the schedule. She had four different shots; the one of her talking to a stage manager, her one line being, “Yeah, it’s not a problem”. The next shot was one of her singing the song and the next was one of her taking a bullet and falling to the floor clutching her belly. The last shot was one of her on a morgue table pretending to be dead.

It was mind-boggling to her that so much work went into what translated to two minutes of screen time. Although she had a lot of boring downtime when she made idle chit-chat and played with her phone, her time on set was grueling and took a lot out of her. 

The Sunday she left Vancouver, she checked out of her hotel room, and before getting a cab back to the airport, she went to an internet cafe. She created a bogus email account. She uploaded a mirror of Michelle’s computer, with complete backdoor access, onto a sketchy website. She then sent an email to _It’sRan!_.

_ Dear sir or madam: _

_ The following link will take you to a website with the raw images, audio, and video recordings of and between people involved in the Obscuras IV sex tapes, the fake Vega Strife sex tape, and the communications of the people behind the fabricated scandals. Do with it as you will. Please feel free to exploit this information to the best of your ability. You have forty-eight hours of exclusive access before this link is shared with other media outlets. _

_ Best Wishes, _

_ Anonymous _

***

When Orihime returned to California, it was still quiet. It had only been several hours, and there was a lot to go through before she could expect the news to break. Still, she was worried; what if they ignored her message? She had an email cued up to be sent out to other gossip sites for Tuesday afternoon, but what if no one took it seriously? Then she’d have nothing.

It was worth the risk.

Orihime recorded another song to keep her occupied. This one was on guitar. She’d been practicing. She’d been getting better. She recorded this one in her room in the pool house. She didn’t say any particular introduction, besides, “Hey YouTube, Here’s Billy Joel’s, A Matter of Trust,” before getting to it. She changed the lyrics around to fit the fact that she was female singing to a male, but otherwise her rendition was pretty faithful to the original.

She uploaded it and sent another text to Nanao.

**Orihime:** Sorry to keep pestering you. If he asks, this new one is about him too.

***

Ulquiorra stared at Nanao as her phone chimed. “Who is it this time?”

“Orihime.”

“What does she want?”

Nanao raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Do you care? I mean I tell you things, but you don’t seem--”

“I’m interested. What does it say?”

“Nope. None of your business,” his assistant said. “My phone, my business.”

Ulquiorra glared at her. He knew Orihime kept texting his assistant. “Fine,” he stated, crossing his arms over his chest. It was silent in the room for several minutes. “Please, Nan, tell me.”

“She uploaded a new song for you. You should post some actual content to Instagram or YouTube. Your fans might want to know what you’re up to.”

He scrambled for his phone and tapped on the app. As soon as he saw the title of the song, Ulquiorra scoffed. “Matter of Trust? This isn’t a matter of trust. This is someone making me look like a fool. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her.”

Nanao rolled her eyes. “You should get over yourself. Celebrities are made to be mocked and laughed at. It comes with the territory. She never cheated on you, Ulq. Byakuya Kuchiki has never gotten over the death of his wife.”

“What happened to his wife?”

“Cancer at a young age. They were so in love, too. You could see it in their eyes. You looked at Orihime the same way.”

Ulquiorra sniffed and looked at the wall. “Where is this person we’re supposed to be meeting? Where is my mom? She’s supposed to be here, too.”

His mother had set up this meeting with a realtor. He didn’t want to do it but his mom was right. He needed his own space. He needed his own place to just be himself. He couldn’t do that at his mother’s house. Ulquiorra sighed. 

Nanao’s phone chimed again. “Holy shit.”

***

“Orihime? Do you want to do an interview with--”

“No, Rukia. No interviews yet. I want to wait.”

“Why?”

“Because this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Orihime grumbled, looking at pictures of herself in lingerie on _It’sRan!_. Of course they ran with that first. “Obscuras IV Frontman’s Former Girlfriend’s Secret Fetish!” the title of the video read. Ugh, she could hear the sounds of tens of thousands of teenage boys’ flys being unzipped before fapping to the images of her on the website. Her attention waned as she watched pictures of her bad habits on a slideshow as the blonde announcer spoke. Then, suddenly, Rangiku Matsumoto had her attention.  _ This _ is what she’d been waiting for.

“...In the next several hours, _It’sRan!_ will be releasing an exposé about the many loves of the elusive singer of Obscuras IV. You won’t want to miss the sordid stories of jealousy, backstabbing, and crime. Heads are sure to roll when the truth comes out. Stay tuned!”

***

“Stop this!”

“Ulquiorra, I can’t. I have no power over the press,” Maria said, holding her hands up. It was true she had no power over what any one of the gossip vlogs said. She couldn’t stop this. All that Espada Records could do was sit and watch the proverbial avalanche that was about to happen. It was going to be an absolute clusterfuck. 

“You can’t do anything? Not even threaten legal action? This is my--”

Nanao came to the woman’s rescue. “There’s nothing we can do, Ulq. Even if we threatened the person behind _It’sRan_ , the media would spin a story about how we have shit to hide. You have nothing to hide. You did nothing wrong.”

His mouth opened and closed as he watched the video of Orihime in the lingerie again. This wasn’t happening. “How fucked am I going to be?”

A loud sigh was emitted from his mother. “This is why I didn’t want you with her,” she said to him.

“Did you know about this?”

“No, but Nemu--”

“ _ Fuck _ Nemu Kurotsuchi. This isn’t about her. This is about me, and someone is going to fucking talk about my almost non-existent love life. I’ve kissed three fucking women in my entire life. I’ve had sex with one. This is bullshit!”

“You need to calm down!”

He took a breath to steady himself. “Maybe this is just clickbait? Right? She probably has nothing on me.”

The two women agreed. His mother suggested going through the house to take his mind off things. It did for a while, then it happened.

The notification popped up on Nanao’s phone.

The usually jovial, irreverent blonde sat at a desk wearing a blouse that was conservative, by her standards. A single spotlight shone over her head in an overly-dramatic parody of a primetime newsmagazine show. Her hands were clasped in front of her on the desk and she leveled a hard look at the camera before she started to speak.

“Tonight, we have part one in our series on the love interests of Ulquiorra Cifer, otherwise known as Obscuras IV. Many of you will be familiar with his former off and on girlfriend, fellow YouTube singer, who has recently had her acting debut on the hit television series,  _ CrimeLab.  _ Vega Highwell, also known as Vega Strife zero zero, was revealed to have an extensive lingerie collection and was previously linked with a record producer, Byakuya Kuchiki. It has come to light that any connection to Kuchiki outside of a professional capacity has been fabricated.

Many of you will find it hard to believe. The apparent proof of the affair was compelling. But _It’s Ran!_ has come into exclusive possession of shocking evidence that will tell a tale of corruption, jealousy, backstabbing, revenge, and crime. I would like to warn audiences that the following program contains content only suitable for a mature audience. Viewer discretion is advised.

We’ll start with identifying the other players in this twisted, real-life drama. Some of you might remember a green-haired Ohio State University student, the same one who outed Cifer as Obscuras IV last October, and the one who was videotaped engaged in a sexual situation at a party a few days later, while the singer was in a supposedly exclusive relationship with Vega Highwell. It has come to light that Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, most commonly referred to as “Nel”, was a former flame of the Obscuras IX frontman and grew up next door to him.

Also involved is Nel’s roommate, Michelle Smith, who has had extensive contact and shared a lover with another love interest of Ulquiorra Cifer, Nemu Kurotsuchi, the thirty-three year old stylist and owner of Twelfth Division, and has extensive business dealings with Espada Records.

We’ll circle around to these women’s dirty fingers, but first, we’ll start with a conversation between the three which was recorded on Michelle’s computer. We’ll show a picture of each speaker as her voice is heard for identification purposes.”

Nel: “ If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be with Ulquiorra after the concert on Saturday. That bitchy redhead will see the video and drop him like a sad sack of shit. That’s what he was anyway. Ulquiorra Cifer was a loser. He was a user. He was a manipulator. He strung me along for the past fourteen years and he is due for a rude awakening!”

(Women can be heard laughing).

  
  
Nemu: “He acts so innocent and faithful. Did you know that after we came back from Austin, he got drunk and we had sex? There was even video of some of it. Of course, he claims that I attacked him. It’s absurd.”

The blonde announcer paused the playback here and interrupted, “We have in our possession a copy of correspondence between Ms. Kurotsuchi and Ms. Smith that suggests that the older woman is lying here. Further, a video in our possession that contains the alleged sex act referenced in this conversation has been partially fabricated. Our video forensic experts have proved that many of the videos these women have released have been tampered with,” Rangiku sat back in her chair as the conversation carried on, with the women talking in detail about how Nel had planned to drug the singer, have sex with him, carve her initials or some other design into his skin, and record the entire encounter. It was horrifying how the other two women laughed and encouraged it. 

Michelle: “Hey, if you have a chance, and that bitch Vega is there, you should cut her up too. Ms. Perfect won’t be sitting so pretty with a big-ass scar across her face.”

Nel: “Haha, she loves Harry Potter so much, I may as well put that dumb zigzag on her forehead. But I’ve heard she’s not coming, so too bad. Maybe another time, though.”

Nemu: “If you do, make sure to use a serrated blade. It leaves a more pronounced scar.”

Michelle: “She speaks from experience!”

(Women laugh).

Rangiku broke in again. “Indeed, Ms. Kurotsuchi speaks from experience. She is the ex-wife of the former Espada Records rocker currently serving a twenty-five year sentence in federal prison, Mayuri. It has come to light that Ms. Kurotsuchi’s contact with the young Obscuras IV frontman is a direct result of the injuries incurred by her ex-husband. Espada Records has been allowing her free access to its artists, giving her opportunities to style them at her leisure, despite artists’ protests. We’ve learned that Obscuras IV had asked several times to have Ms. Kurotsuchi removed as their stylist, but that the record company had refused and brokered a deal with her to provide employment without scrutiny in exchange for her silence about Mayuri.  But this is news for another day. We’ll now go back to the former lover’s plot to be impregnated…” 

The program ran an hour in length, and provided detailed evidence for each item it touched upon. It exposed Nel’s plan to get knocked up at the party, Nemu’s admission that she was trying to seduce Ulquiorra to Michelle, Michelle’s admission to Nel that she was trying to smear Orihime’s reputation as a result of her joining the lawsuit against Aizen, and the fact that Aizen was Nemu’s lover as well as Michelle’s. It also explained how Nel had Orihime followed after she left OSU and photographed her with Shuhei Hisagi and sent the photos to Ulquiorra on a third-party phone. It detailed how Nel and Nemu had been stalking Ulquiorra’s social media accounts under the moniker “SleepyGoat” and the threats they had made under that pseudonym.

Rangiku ended the show promising more shocking details in the next installment to be released in twelve hours, which would explain Byakuya Kikuchi’s involvement and how the sex tape between he and Vega Strife came to be, with more in-depth image and video analysis debunking the authenticity of the data.

***

Orihime sat with Rukia, both of them with their mouths hanging open in shock after the program had ended. 

Orihime had gone through the information on her own before, but it was completely disorganized. She didn’t have the manpower to put it all together into a cohesive narrative. Ran was right, it had been shocking. 

“Wow,” Rukia said after several minutes. “How do you feel?” she said in a detached way as she looked over at the redhead.

“I don’t even know. I didn’t even know some of the things she talked about. Do you think I made the right decision?”

“Absolutely. Not only are you clearing your name, you’re clearing my brother’s name. You’re clearing Ulquiorra’s name, to an extent. You are bringing four very vile people to justice. You did the right thing.”

“I really, really hope so,” Orihime said, slumping back into the couch cushions and biting her thumbnail. She could only pray that Ulquiorra agreed with Rukia.

***

Ulquiorra had his head in his hands, elbows digging into his knees. He could not believe what he just heard. Everything that Orihime had told him had been true. Fuck. He had screwed up. The SUV they sat in felt tiny, like things were closing in on him. “I need to call her,” he said.

“No. You don’t get to call her,” Nanao said.

“What? Why not?”

His assistant gave him a scolding look. “You have ignored that poor girl for the past month--six weeks? You have treated her like garbage and now you want to go crawling back to her once she proves that everything that was sent to you was fake?”

“I--”

“No. You made your choice when you told her to fuck off,” Nanao said. She sounded like a mother who was disappointed. “Let her get over this since you’re clearly over it.”

Ulquiorra looked at the realtor and his mother who were talking and then he looked back at his assistant. Nanao didn’t pull any punches. He was going to open his mouth but he didn’t get a chance. His mother opened the door and got into the passenger seat. “I thanked the realtor and told her that we would need another chance to view this place. Right now I have a situation on my hands and we need to get downtown ASAP.”

“What’s going on?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Nemu has a hostage and a gun and is threatening to shoot people,” Maria said. “We’re going to drop you off at home and then Nanao is going to take me to the building.”

Ulquiorra’s eyes widened. “Wait, you can’t do anything! Why go and put yourself in harm’s way?”

Maria gave him a look as Nanao pulled onto the road. “I’ll be fine.”

***

As soon as Ulquiorra was in his mother’s house, he went to his room and dialed Orihime’s number. Nanao could say what she wanted, but she couldn’t stop him from calling her.

“Hello? Orihime Inoue’s phone. Rukia Kuchiki speaking.”

“I need to speak to Orihime.”

A long-suffering sounding sigh answered him. “All media inquiries can be directed to her ad hoc agent, Hanataro--”

“This isn’t a fucking media call you midget. Get my girlfriend on the phone, now.”

Rukia was pissed. Maybe it wasn’t her place, but Orihime had been suffering for a long time because he had basically told her to eat shit and die. “Your  _ girlfriend _ ? Last I checked she got dumped six weeks ago by some asshole who had no faith in her.”

He probably should have expected that. What was it with these meddling bitches today? “Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m an asshole. I need to speak to her. It’s about the information that was just released.”

Rukia growled. “Mmm _ Fine _ . Orihime!” she barked.

Ulquiorra could hear the redhead’s tired voice answer from what sounded like a distance. Maybe she was just coming in from outside. “What?”

“It’s him.”

There was no sound except for that of flip-flops slapping against heels and tile floors. Then shuffling. “Hello?”

“Hey.” Ulquiorra didn’t know how welcomed his call would be, but he still greeted her with affection.

Orihime was honestly stunned to hear from him so soon. Her voice sounded guarded in her reply, “Hi.”

“I’m an asshole. I’m sorry. I should have… I should have listened to you. Did you do all of that? Did you--The information about Nel and the party? Did you know? I didn’t want to believe you because I didn’t want to believe Nel would be capable of something like that,” he said. He felt like shit.

“I tried to tell you. I showed you the screenshots.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek. This wasn’t the redeeming feeling she had anticipated. She felt conflicted.

He nodded. She had done all of that. Ulquiorra still didn’t believe it then. “I abandoned you again. I’m sorry. I’ve treated you like shit since I met you. I’m really, really sorry, Orihime.”

She had expected to be elated to hear that he believed in her. She thought in silence for a moment. She would have been elated if he had believed  _ in her. _ He hadn’t, though. He had believed in Rangiku Matsumoto, not Orihime Inoue. He had preferred to believe in some idealized version of Nel than to believe in her. She realized that she felt let down. “Okay,” she replied finally. She didn’t know what else to say.

Ulquiorra didn’t know why he expected this to be easy. Why did he expect her to just welcome him back with open arms? “Okay. Um, I had a reason for calling. Nemu’s gone batshit insane. She has a hostage and a gun inside the Espada Records building. My mom went down there to find out more.”

“What?!” Orihime asked, her tone suddenly breathless and frightened. “Rukia, turn on the news!” Shit. This was why he was calling. Of course. This was horrible. Shit. “This is all my fault. Oh my god…”

“No, no, baby this isn’t your fault.” Ulquiorra cringed at the use of that pet name. Shit. “Nemu went crazy because she was exposed. What you did probably saved my life. Thank you. I--”

Could he say it? Would she believe him?

“I love you.”

Orihime didn’t know whether to believe him. It felt like it wasn’t the time to discuss their personal lives. It definitely wasn’t the time to deliberate over whether or not Ulquiorra meant that he loved her. She huffed out a breath. “Is anyone hurt?” she whimpered. She would never forgive herself.

“I don’t know. The first thought I had after my mom and Nan dropped me off was to call you. I had to apologize and tell you what was going on.”

“Is there anything I can do? Should I go down there?” Of course she shouldn’t, but in her panic she wasn’t thinking straight.

Panic immediately filled his voice. “No! Do not go down there. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. I told my mom the same thing. I told her that she could do nothing. Please, do not go anywhere.”

Orihime was freaking out. She could barely catch a breath. Rukia rushed to her side. “Orihime, sit down. Take a deep breath. You’re going to be fine,” she said, grabbing the phone from her. “What did you tell her?” she snapped at Ulquiorra. She still hadn’t figured out what the hostage situation had to do with Orihime. The news didn’t say who was involved.

“Nothing,” he answered as he walked over to the television. Ulquiorra turned it on and flipped to the news. “Nemu has a hostage inside of Espada Records. My mom went down there to find out information.”

Rukia gasped. This was terrible. “Mr. Cifer, that is not good. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out alright. I’m sorry, but Orihime appears to be having some kind of anxiety attack at the moment.”

Orihime was indeed having difficulty taking a regular breath. All the anxiety related to releasing the information on Nemu and the others was coming to the fore at the same time. She motioned to Rukia to bring the phone to her ear, then wheezed to the phone in a tight voice between gasps, “I’m sorry… I can’t… really talk…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just keep making it worse. Are you okay? Do you need me to do anything?” Ulquiorra was becoming frantic as he watched the television. “They’re sending a negotiator into the building.”

Rukia took the phone back and put it on speaker. “Hey, it’s Rukia again. I’m going to have her lie down with a cool wet towel on her head or she is going to pass out. What channel are you on? The one I’m on just has a news ticker without any real updates.”

“Uh, I’m not sure. It’s on the local channel. Some special report thing,” Ulquiorra replied. “Does she need--No, does she want me to come over? I can. Is she going to be okay?”

Rukia looked over at Orihime with a questioning expression. “Wait a second, aren’t you in Laguna Beach?”

“Not right now. I’m at my mom’s house in Malibu. Why?”

Rukia’s feathers were ruffled. Who did this guy think he was, loving and leaving her the moment things got rough, and then once Orihime jumped through a million hoops to clear her own name he finally cared? “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Orihime doesn’t need you. She’s just fine.” She hung up and went to get the cold towel for the redhead. 

“I’m sorry, Orihime, but he doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.”

Orihime put a palm over her eyes and cried. This was not supposed to happen.

***

The negotiator only spent thirty minutes in the building. Maria watched the police and the SWAT team speaking to each other. She stood with Gin and Tosen. The situation didn’t look good. 

Nemu had grabbed some low level employee who would probably want compensation. They would need counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder. They’d get sued. That’s all she heard from the two men.

A big man came over to them. “She’s talking to the guy right now. We have her on body cam. I guess she’s confessing to everything,” the police officer said. “We’ll be arresting Ms. Kurotsuchi as soon as she emerges.”

“Wait, is there a chance I could talk to her first?” Maria asked.

“Absolutely not,” the man in uniform said. “This is an ongoing investigation, ma’am. The person inside of the building is quite unstable--”

“But she’s still a person!”

Gin scoffed. “Arrest her, throw the book at her. She’s been a thorn in our side for years. We can bring you people that have complained about her.”

There was another period of waiting, then some kid came running out of the building. That was a production intern. Dammit. Another ten minutes went by and Nemu was being led out of the building. She wasn’t cuffed. There was a police officer talking to her. 

Maria walked close to the barrier. “Nemu! Nem! Are you--”


	14. Stop the Clock

To say that time stopped for Ulquiorra would have been an understatement. It didn’t stop; it became a non-thing. It wasn’t real. He just didn’t see his mother get shot. That wasn’t Maria who went down clutching her shoulder. That wasn’t his mom who was screaming.

To be fair, everyone on the television was screaming. 

Ulquiorra could see Nemu screaming at the SWAT team member who was wrestling the handgun away from her. The news channel switched the studio, where the news anchor looked uncomfortable. 

“We have some breaking news. Gunshots were fired into the crowd around the Espada Records building. We’ve learned that the person behind this hostage situation was just taken down by SWAT members for trying to shoot one of them with the service weapon she took from a police officer. We will report more when we have more information.” 

His phone was ringing.

His ears were ringing. 

His mom. All he saw was his mom bleeding. What he saw on the television kept replaying in his head.

He snapped out of his catatonic state when he heard someone banging on the door. Ulquiorra slowly walked to the front door of the house and stared at Nanao. “Hey,” he said.

The assistant grabbed him by the front of his T-shirt and dragged him to where the car was waiting. He was confused. “Where are we--”

“Your mom was shot. She was taken to the hospital. Your dad is flying in from Ohio.”

“Oh, was Nemu--”

“She’s dead.” 

***

The news spread like wildfire. Nemu had confessed to everything in the exposé and more. She explained in detail how she had hired professionals to make the fake videos and pictures of her and Ulquiorra and Orihime and Byakuya. She admitted to conspiring with Nel and Michelle in doing so. She told the hostage negotiator about how she had been Aizen’s lover and how Michelle had also. She alleged that it was all Orihime Inoue, or Vega‘s, fault; how she had made both Sousuke Aizen and Ulquiorra Cifer so obsessed with her that both men refused to consider a real relationship with her.

She told the negotiator that she had plans to lacerate Ulquiorra, and when Nel expressed interest in hurting the male, Nemu had encouraged it and had given the younger woman tips. How they had discussed ways in which to drug Ulquiorra to make him more compliant both for sexual purposes and to make it easier to cut him.

She admitted that she still held on to her job at Espada Records not only because of her interest in Ulquiorra, but also that she still harbored romantic feelings for his mother, Maria Cifer. Maria had never been willing to make their relationship public. This had always caused Nemu mental anguish.

She also confessed that Aizen had a history of sexual harassment claims against him a mile long, and that the reason the OSU students’ lawsuit was dropped was because she, Nel, and Michelle worked together to defame the characters of the litigants. That Nel and Michelle had obtained the information about the girls and that she had put it all together and made it public in an effort to protect Aizen. That even after all that, Aizen would not agree to a romantic relationship with either her or Michelle. That was all Orihime’s fault. Everything was that red-headed whore’s fault, according to Nemu.

The criminal investigations started the next day. Both Nel and Michelle were arrested and facing expulsion from OSU. Aizen resigned before he could be fired. Nemu’s confession held legal weight where the illegally obtained evidence from Michelle’s computer failed. 

Byakuya Kikuchi did not wait to try to nail the surviving women’s asses to the wall. He lawyered up as well as he could, which was quite well; the Kuchikis were old money. He filed civil suits against Michelle, Nel, and Aizen. His lawyers advised that they didn’t think the suit would stick against Aizen, but there was a good chance Nel and Michelle would lose.

Soul Society, by way of Kisuke, told Orihime that she would have their full support should she decide to proceed with legal actions of her own, but was advised to wait until the criminal case was completed. Orihime agreed. She wanted to lay low for awhile and focus on her own life for a change, which she did.

Hanataro had sent her an offer  from a smaller animation studio doing a new film, offering her a singing role in an upcoming film. They had seen her Disney song cover on YouTube, and wrote the songs for the film’s heroine with her in mind. Now that she was deemed innocent in the eyes of the public, the director asked for the studio to greenlight Orihime’s participation, and they agreed. Orihime accepted the role. It would begin production in autumn.

She had also already been in talks with Soul Society for a recording deal, which were still ongoing. She hadn’t signed yet, but they were working on the terms of a two-album deal with a limited west coast tour after the first album and a potential nationwide tour after the second. Orihime wasn’t sure the timing was right, and even though it was Soul Society Music Group, and not Espada or even Seireitei, she was still skeptical. She didn’t want to sign anything without giving it due diligence and consideration.

She was also feeling terribly guilty. Although Nemu had brought it on herself, Orihime’s actions had indirectly led to her death. They had also led to Ulquiorra’s mother getting shot.

A week after the incident, she still hadn’t heard anything from Ulquiorra. Kisuke had advised her that Maria survived; industry gossip traveled fast and it was anticipated that after her recovery, Maria Cifer would return to her position at Espada Records. Still, Orihime was concerned about the extent of her injuries and was worried about how Ulquiorra was holding up. She decided to reach out.

**Orihime:** Hey, I’ve been worried about you and your mom. Is she doing alright? How about you? I’m sorry I was useless when you called last week. Please let me know. Thinking of you both. -Veggs

***

The week that followed the incident when his mother got shot, Ulquiorra stayed by her side most of the time. He only left when his dad showed up to sit with her. Those two were acting weird. Everyone was acting weird, especially around him.

“What the fuck is going on, Nanao? What the hell is wrong with everyone?” Ulquiorra asked as she drove away from the hospital. He had an appointment with the therapist today. Soifon wanted to talk.

“Ulq, isn’t it obvious? Everyone is waiting for your meltdown.” She glanced at him before focusing back on the road.

Meltdown? Why the hell would he have a meltdown? “I don’t get it.”

Nanao sighed. “Talk to your therapist today. Ask her why everyone around you could be acting weird.”

His phone vibrated and Ulquiorra looked down at it. A text from Vega. She had been silent since the shooting. Why was she bothering him now?

He felt no sympathy for Nel or her roommate. They both deserved what they got. They both deserved to rot in some prison cell for what they had been planning. His dad told him that Nel’s mom was keeping him updated on what was going on in Ohio. Since their crimes spanned state lines, the FBI was involved now. Ulquiorra thought that was just for major felonies and stuff, not the shit that the two women were going down for.

With a sigh, he opened it and read the text. Ulquiorra had conflicting feelings. On the one hand he was glad Orihime was getting shit done from what he heard from others. On the other hand, had she never opened her mouth, his mom wouldn’t be in the hospital and she wouldn’t blame him for the death of a close friend. 

Nemu wasn’t a close friend. She was some psychopath that had wormed her way into their lives. Quickly as Ulquiorra could, he pushed the thoughts about Nemu out of his brain. He couldn’t handle it right now. 

**Ulquiorra:** Mom is pissed bc you know… she got shot. She’ll pull through. I’m me. Still being an asshole. But soon I’m gonna be an asshole who has his own place. No more staying with parents. Yay! / sarcasm

Orihime was glad when she got Ulquiorra’s response, but she felt punched in the gut when she read it. He was getting his own place? What happened to them getting a place together?

Duh. Nearly two months of separation happened. His mom getting shot happened. She wasn’t even sure how she felt about them getting back together at this point. She still loved him, but… It was all very complicated. 

Still, it hurt. Badly. Yet somehow, she was glad for him. He was growing up. That was a good thing. She took several deep breaths and swallowed hard before responding, trying to act like a friend.

**Orihime:** I’m happy for you despite the sarcasm. Do you have it all picked out already? I’m sorry about what happened. I’m glad your mom is doing better but I’m sorry that what I did hurt your family. I bet you wish you never met me now, huh? Lol.

She did not, in fact, laugh out loud, if anyone was keeping track. She felt like she was going to be sick. 

**Ulquiorra:** Nah. Looking at a couple houses around Malibu. There’s this place on the coast I really like and I can turn the pool house into a studio. Plenty of room but not as vast as your place. Around 3k+ sq ft. How are you doing?

Ulquiorra decided to not touch on the other parts of her text. He didn’t want to dig into that bag at the moment.

He sounded completely dispassionate. Maybe this was it. Maybe it was really all over between them in a romantic sense. At least he was talking to her, right?

She wasn’t sure if it was any better. She wanted to try for now, at least.

**Orihime:** Sounds great. I wish I was moving up. Well, I am with work, I guess. I did a TV spot for CrimeLab before all this happened. It’ll air in September. I’m going to be a playback singer for an animated film for a small studio. I’m in talks with SS for a limited contract but it’s still being worked out. I’m managing I guess. I was expecting there to be blowback from what happened, but I was never expecting this. I’ve increased my time with Dr. Tristan to twice a week for the time being.

She wanted to throw up. She realized after she sent it that he would probably send back a generic response and that would be it. She looked over at her kitchen junk drawer. It still had that bank envelope with the thousand dollars he had given her. She had dipped into it from time to time but she always replenished it when she got paid. Something in the back of her mind was always telling her that she would have to pay it back one day; that the song he wanted to sing would never come to fruition. 

**Ulquiorra:** Cool. I’ve been told that you’re moving up and on. It’s good to see you achieve something. 

Ulquiorra sighed before he sent it to her. He didn’t know what she wanted him to say. He was at a loss with everything.

**Ulquiorra:** this is awkward Vega. I don’t know what you want from me. I don’t think we can call ourselves lovers anymore… it feels like we’ve drifted so far away from each other.

She got the message and had to sit down. Somewhere inside of her she knew this was coming, but she had always hoped he would still come back to her. It felt like it was raining in her head.

**Orihime:** I see. I guess if that’s how you feel, that’s how you feel. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll send you a check to your office; it’s not safe to send $1000 cash. Maybe I’ll see you around.

She sent it and then went to go lay down. She didn’t want to deal with life right now. She didn’t want to think or feel or cry anymore. Everything she had done. Everything she had worked for. Her reputation that she had sacrificed during the course of their relationship. It was all for nothing now. She wasn’t an insignificant speck in his life anymore. She wasn’t in his life anymore at all.

She didn’t get it. Ulquiorra closed his eyes. Texts were always hard to get a read on. He tapped her name and brought the phone up to his ear.

It went immediately to voicemail. Orihime had turned her phone off and left it downstairs to charge. She had taken a sleeping pill and chased it with a beer. She just wanted everything to go away.

“Nan, can you take me to Beverly Hills?”

“Now?”

“Yes now. I need to talk to Orihime. She’s not picking up.” Ulquiorra pushed a hand against his face as he tried calling again. Still went to voicemail. “Please, I just want to see if she’s okay and explain my last text. Give me ten minutes.”

The assistant huffed. “I think you should talk to the therapist first but if this is—“

“Let’s just say this is a gut feeling. It is of utmost importance that I see her.” Ulquiorra looked at Nanao with begging eyes.

“Fine but it’s hot as fuck outside, so be quick about it,” she said.

When they pulled up to the modern mansion, Ulquiorra hopped out and slammed the door before he strode up to the gate. He mashed the buzzer several times with his thumb.

“Hello?” a feline sounding voice purred. “Who is it?”

“Uh Yoruichi? It’s Ulquiorra Cifer. I need to speak to Orihime,” he said into the speaker.

Yoruichi buzzed him in, then met him in the walkway. “Hello, it’s been a long time,” she said kindly. “How is your mother?”

“Um she’s okay, I guess. She doesn’t talk to me that much, mostly glares,” he replied. “Have you seen her at all today?”

“Orihime? She hasn’t been leaving the house much, so it’s hard to tell. Did you try calling her?”

He nodded. “It went to voicemail, and she misunderstood a text message I sent to her. She said she would see me around and that she would leave me alone.”

Yoruichi frowned for a moment before letting her features mellow out. “ I’ll go check on her and see if she wants to see you, alright?” She didn’t wait for an answer before turning and letting herself into the pool house using a code on the keypad side entrance. She was inside for several minutes before she came running back outside, looking distressed.

“Ulquiorra?” she called with an unnerved edge to her voice.

He whipped around to look at the purple haired woman. “What? Does she want me to leave?”

“Have you spoken to her much lately? Has she been talking to you about Dr. Tristan?”

“No, this was the first time in a week she texted me. We’ve not spoken much since those photos went live,” he said.

Yoruichi chewed on her lip. “I’m worried, but I don’t know. When you were together, did she take sleep medicine?” She looked down and muttered to herself, “It just seems really early...”

He shook his head again. “No she’s never taken anything while I was with her. She has never done any drugs or drank when with me. What is going on?”

“Well, she won’t wake up when I try to wake her. She’s got a prescription bottle next to her bed and a half-drunk bottle of beer. It looks like there are plenty of pills left in the bottle and she’s breathing fine, but this isn’t like her. Maybe she’ll wake up for you?”

Ulquiorra looked at the woman and then back to the gate. “Maybe, but I don’t want her to get mad. I mean she seemed to…” he trailed off. Fuck it. What did he have to lose? There was no way he was going to forfeit another best friend. “Sure, I can try.”

“The door is open,” she said, walking up the path to the car and waving Nanao into the drive. “I’ll have your driver come in for some iced tea. It’s hot out here.”

Not waiting another second, Ulquiorra ran for the pool house. He didn’t slow down until he hit the door. It took him a minute to remember where her bedroom was. His feet took him upstairs and he went into the room with the fancy window. Orihime lay on the bed completely passed out. “Fuck.”

There was no response from the redhead. Yoruichi had been right, though, except that the bottle of beer was much closer to empty than half full and the pill bottle was labeled with a warning not to use with alcohol. The label also said that the prescription had been filled five days ago. There was supposed to be thirty pills in the bottle when it was new. Twenty-five remained.

Dammit. He put the pill bottle back on the nightstand. She wasn’t stupid, was she? Ulquiorra crawled onto the bed, grabbing Orihime’s shoulder and shaking her a couple of times. “Orihime!”

A soft groan answered him after a couple of shakes. A mumbled complaint with no words followed.

“Veggs, please wake up. Baby, please, you’re scaring me.”

She grimaced and rolled onto her side. “Why?” She thought she had followed-up that question with the question, “What are you scared of,” but she had already fallen half asleep again.

Ulquiorra shook her again. “Orihime please look at me. I don’t want my money back. I don’t want to just see you around. I want you to bother me.”

She opened her eyes for a second only for them to fall closed again. She found them much too heavy to keep open. “Okay,” she murmured. “I’m just so tired.”

“Fuck,” he growled. He really didn’t want to shake her anymore. “You shouldn’t have taken those pills with alcohol! I’m going to have Yoruichi take you to the hospital or call an ambulance.”

The word ambulance made it through her sleepy haze. “I only took one,” she slurred.

Yoruichi showed up at that moment, knocking at the door frame. “Excuse me. I’m going to call poison control. Did she say anything?”

“She only took one,” he said. “She said she’s so tired. Dammit, Orihime!”

“Calm down. I know it’s scary, but I’ll find out if we need to do anything, alright? Do you mind staying while I call? You know a lot more about her than I do,” the older woman asked calmly as she looked up the number for the poison control center and then picked up the prescription bottle.

He sat beside the redhead, smoothing the hair out of her face. “Moon river… wider…” Ulquiorra had to pause, taking little breaths to keep from crying. “Please, Veggs.”

Yoruichi put a hand on Ulquiorra's shoulder and gave a squeeze, then started speaking to someone on the phone. “Yes, hi, I have a question about a sleeping pill,” she began, reading the name and the dosage information from the side of the bottle and then explaining that she had drank approximately ten ounces from a bottle of beer. 

She was quiet for a moment and then started asking Ulquiorra questions.

“How old is she? How tall is she? How much does she weigh?”

“Uh, she’s nineteen. Five foot two and I’m not sure of her weight. Maybe one ten?”

Yoruichi looked the girl over and nodded. “That looks about right.” She relayed the information and was quiet for awhile, nodding. Then she asked, “For how long?” Another long pause. “Alright, thank you so much,” she said with a smile and ended the call.

She patted Ulquiorra’s shoulder and then took a step back. “They said she should be fine, but someone should sit with her for a few hours to make sure she doesn’t stop breathing. The amount of alcohol she ingested wasn’t very much and she did not take too much of the medication. It is just fast-acting and very strong after it has taken effect. I don’t mind sitting with her if you need to get going.”

“No, I’ll sit with her. Tell Nan to head back. I’ll catch an Uber out to my mom’s house.” Ulquiorra sighed.

“Are you sure? It’s really no trouble.”

His head went back and forth. “No, I need to. We have some things to talk about, and I want to be here when she wakes up. Orihime is my best friend; it’s what friends do.”

Yoruichi managed not to raise her brows at that. “Alright. Come on over to the house if you need anything, I’ll be up late waiting for Kisuke,” she said, then left without waiting for a response.

***

He played on his phone. He got something to eat out of her fridge. Ulquiorra basically made himself at home, eventually falling asleep next to the redhead. It was something his brain and body did naturally. They were at ease around her.

Orihime slept soundly through the night until morning, when she started to have a stressful dream. She wouldn’t remember it when she woke up, but her body jerked and she started talking in her sleep, mostly whimpering the word, “no”.

All he did was roll over and put his arm around her. “Shhh, go back to sleep,” Ulquiorra mumbled. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

Her eyes snapped open. He wasn’t here last night. He hadn’t been here in months. “Ul—Ulquiorra?”

Tired eyes opened to reveal green irises. Ulquiorra lifted his head and peered at her for a moment. “That’s me. Morning, I guess.”

She was very confused. “When did you get here?” she asked quietly, as if he might disappear if the words were spoken too loudly.

“Around eight? Maybe a little before that? You weren’t answering your phone. I panicked and had Nanao bring me here. Yoruichi let me in and you wouldn’t wake up. She called poison control. I’ve been here all night with you.” Ulquiorra continued to study her. “You misunderstood my text.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you would come. That’s the last thing I expected, actually. What was there to misunderstand?” she asked, her brow wrinkling as the memory of the correspondence the day before came back to her.

He scooted back slightly before sitting up, his back resting against the headboard. “One, I don’t want the money back. It was a gift to you. Two, I was asking what you wanted from me. Where we stood with each other. We’re both to blame for this for not—” he sighed. “We both hurt each other by not understanding things.”

She really didn’t follow. She shook her head and sat up. “I don’t understand. You said we drifted apart and weren’t lovers anymore. I don’t recall it happening that way. I remember getting told to fuck off, then silence for weeks until I…” she stopped and looked down at her lap, swallowing the lump that was growing in her throat. “I’m sorry about your mom and Nemu,” she whispered.

“We have drifted apart. We’ve not been together since I was in Columbus. I was angry. I was hurt. I thought this was another case of you being taken advantage of. I needed time to think over things. I was also pissed off because Nel was at the concert. She wasn’t just there, she had a VIP package.” He turned his head and looked at her. “I’m not asking for another chance. I’d be happy to be your friend.”

Orihime’s guilt and sadness were quickly being burned up and replaced by what she felt was righteous indignation. “Let’s get a few things straight, Ulquiorra. One, that’s not “drifting apart”. You pushed me away. You chose not to believe me. Sorry about Nel being there, but that’s not my problem. You maintained that silence between us and instructed Nanao not to let me contact you. And believe me, I tried. I recorded songs for you and asked Nanao to tell you about every one. I know you didn’t listen to her. All the while I did _everything I could_ to prove my innocence, but I shouldn’t have had to.” 

She shook her head and pressed her eyes shut for a second before continuing. “Two, I’m not happy to be your friend. I can’t do that. And I’m not going to be like Nel, and let you string me along, or pretend like I’m okay being just your friend when I’m really not.” She stopped and stared at his face. How dare he say she just dropped the ball? She had been busting her ass to repair their relationship. He had thrown it all away.

With a sigh, he turned his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “The next time you decide to kill yourself, or try to, do it in a hotel.”

She scoffed, “I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I just wanted to sleep.”

He glanced over his shoulder at her giving her an unimpressed look. “Right, because drinking and sleeping pills mix.”

“Believe me, if I wanted to kill myself, I’d be dead.” She returned the unimpressed look.

It was crazy how last night he was pleading with her, and begging her to pull through this, and now they were about to snap at each other. Ulquiorra nodded. “I heard everything you recorded for me. You could have sent me the information you released to the media. That might have kicked me in the ass. Now I have my mom who was shot by some psycho bitch, and her bitching at me because said psycho bitch is dead. Maria feels the cops treated poor Nemu in a bad way. But all that is my fault, and my mom blames me.”

“And that's all my fault? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? That I should have done X to make you do Y? _Fine._ I’ll take responsibility. You can go back to your insane mother and tell her it’s all that red headed whore’s fault.” Orihime was quickly losing her grip on her emotions. “You can take your money back, too. You can take everything from me. I don’t want it. I just want everything to go away. I just want to sleep,” she got off the bed and stormed out of the room.

He followed. “I wasn’t saying that! My mom doesn’t want me around anymore since I pulled this stunt. I have one week to find a place and get my shit out of her house. I don’t want the money. I just want you back and everything to be the way it was before the fucking concert in Columbus!” Ulquiorra raised his voice enough to yell.

“Well I would not like to be known as the Obscuras four blowjob chick or that one girl who has the lingerie fetish, but that’s all anyone is ever going to think,” she yelled back. “Sorry your mom wants you out. What can I say? She’s an awful, fucked up person? I don’t know. All I know is that you loved me one moment and the next you didn’t, and now you’re blaming me for respecting your wishes and not contacting you. You can’t blame me for everything! You can’t erase the past! Those crazy bitches are in jail now, but they got the last laugh. They got what they wanted. Look at us!”

“We’re fucked up, I know. I am aware of this. Everyone around me is fucked up. You didn’t respect my wishes because you kept reaching out to me; you kept texting Nanao. You kept singing songs to me. All I wanted to do was lick my wounds for a while and rethink matters,” he said in a tired voice. All the fight had left him. “Maybe I’ll see you around. Maybe when award season comes up and I’ll see you in the seats and I’ll thank you in an acceptance speech or something.”

“Fuck you!!” she sobbed. She couldn’t take it anymore. “Did you give a shit about where it left me when you were licking your fake ass wounds? No! You tell yourself whatever you want to help you sleep at night, Ulquiorra, but you abandoned me like you always do. And then you have the balls to roll up here and say you want to be friends? I was only ever completely faithful to you. I don’t deserve this. I’m a decent person,” she was gasping and sputtering. She walked to the kitchen drawer and pulled out the bank envelope and set it on the table. “I don’t want your money. I’m not a whore, I have never been one and I don’t want this.”

He didn’t even glance at the envelope. Ulquiorra walked towards Orihime. “I’m allowed to feel how I felt. You’re allowed to feel however you feel. I’m a fucking person just like you are. I’d gladly be with you again, but guess what princess, you don’t want me. I can hear it in your voice,” he told her in a calm voice. He turned away from her and started walking towards the door that would lead him to the outside. “Fuck you.”

“You ask me to guess and then tell me how I supposedly feel? What happened to I’m “allowed to feel how I feel”? You don’t know what I want.”

He didn’t turn back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Crescendo and Decrescendo! The final segment in this first series of the CAD universe is called "Resolution and Coda" and should begin next week. Thanks for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> EspadaIV can be reached at [HERE ON TUMBLR](http://espada-iv.tumblr.com/)  
> JKRobertson can be reached at [HERE ON TUMBLR](https://jkrobertson.tumblr.com/)


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